Darkness and Light
by Audacia
Summary: COMPLETE. This story takes place after The Chronicles of Riddick. Riddick continues to unravel his past and discover who he really is. Someone else is growing into herself as well. Rated T to be safe for language and violence. First fic, please review.
1. End of the World

Chapter 1: The End of the World

Through the thickening mist she heard him ask, "Are you with me Kyra?"

Gathering strength she breathed, "I was always with you. I was."

Looking once more into his eyes, eyes that were filled with an emotion she had never seen in them before. Fear.

She wanted to let him know that everything was okay, wanting to tell him everything she had been holding inside since the first time she saw him on Hunter Gratzner. She tried to hold on…Tried to stay with him…Tried to tell him she loved him…

The world went dark.

Riddick sat back watching as a tear glistened at the corner of her eye then rolled down her face, not understanding, not _wanting _to believe what just happened. He covered his face with his hand.

He heard movement and slowly became aware of the world around him. The entire population of Necropolis was bowing. Before _him_. Momentary confusion struck him and then he remembered. Remembered what he had already heard several times - "You keep what you kill." He muttered.

His whole world had fallen apart. The one man he trusted, Imam the holy man, was dead. Kyra, the one person he cared about, was gone.

After leaving that accursed planet with only Imam and Jack in tow, he came to realize that Imam would always be praying for him, whether Riddick wanted him to or not. He was the only person in the entire universe Riddick could say that about and oddly, Riddick found that knowledge comforting. He trusted Imam so much that he gave Imam Jack to care for. He knew that if Jack was to be associated with him it would forever put her life at risk. So he left. He went as far away from her as possible so that the mercs wouldn't think to use Jack… _Kyra_, as bait. That had been his and Imam's plan anyway, Imam would be her father figure, and Riddick was her protector. Far, far away.

And now both were killed by the same mother fuckers who now acclaimed him Lord Marshal. He wasn't even one of them and yet they kneeled. He knew enough about the Necromongers to know what their goal was; to kill every man, woman, and child in the universe unless they would convert. Convert to a religion that revolved around death. Riddick had seen enough death to be comfortable with it, and yet these people lived and breathed it. Necropolis, the flag ship for this vast armada, was in itself a shrine worshipping the death and decay of the human body. It disgusted him.

After the Necromongers had 'cleansed' the universe, they would travel to their promised land, a place called Underverse. There they believed they would live and be happy without pain forever. Living the life they believed humans were meant to live_. "Fucking idiots."_ He thought.

As he sat alone in his room, surrounded by the putrid evil that was this very ship, a plan became clear to him. He slowly left his chambers where he had locked himself up for the past week and walked toward the command center of Necropolis. As soon as he entered he was saluted by the commanders. Ignoring them, he made his way to the center of the room to where a table stood, showing the nearby star systems and galaxies. Looking down he noticed that they were making their way toward the Elemental home world. "_Must be next on their list of planets to annihilate_." He thought stoically.

"Change of plans." He said, "Take us to the Underverse."

"But Your Highness," a commander questioned, "We have not yet cleansed this universe…"

He was cut off by an abrupt movement from Riddick. Riddick grabbed the commander by the throat and started to squeeze.

"Take us to the fuckin' Underverse."

The commanders' hands were grasping feebly at Riddick's and he quickly nodded. Riddick released him and the orders were given. The chamber was suddenly filled activity as commanders, navigators, and soldiers changed their course.

Riddick watched silently for a moment, then turned and left the room.


	2. Alone

Chapter 2: Alone

_Darkness was all around him. He heard yells and screams. He saw people running and stumbling in the dark, fighting for their lives. Suddenly a brilliant light flashed around him, causing him to duck and shield his sensitive eyes. Momentarily blinded, a face floated before him, a woman, the same woman that had appeared to him before he landed on Helion Prime, then again on Crematoria. "Vengeance belongs to us ALL!" She exclaimed grabbing at him. Another sound. He turned quickly and heard a scream fading off into the distance. "Riddick!?"_

"Kyra!" He jerked up in his bed, bathed with sweat. His heart was pounding and his breath coming in gasps.

Slowly his heart rate and breathing slowed to normal, he got up out of bed and rolled his shoulders to work out the knots that had formed.

It had been two weeks since he ordered the Necromonger fleet to turn and head for the Underverse, in that time he had not seen anyone but the young woman, Jeera, whose sole duty in life was to bring him his meals and clean the rooms from which he had not left after issuing the order. He had given orders that he not be disturbed, but it seemed as though he would be anyway: Every night he had had nightmares. They all followed the same general pattern; darkness, a battle, a woman talking of vengeance, and Kyra.

He shook his head. Always Kyra. Every time he thought of her it was as though he was stabbed through the gut. He never knew that such loneliness, such pain, such _guilt_ was possible. Even when he hadn't seen her for those five years, knowing that she was alive helped him keep going everyday. He had spent those five years thinking of her, protecting her from the fuckin' mercs by luring them away from Helion Prime where he had left her in Imam's care, and surviving on a God forsaken ice heap of a planet.

Now she was gone and it was because of him.

"_Not for me," _he thought in denial,_ "I don't deserve it. Why did she die for me?"_

There was a knock on the door. His head jerked up at the sound.

He pulled out his blade, and walked to the door. Slowly he opened it. A Necromonger commander was standing outside his door.

"I thought I asked not to be disturbed." He said, his voice cold and soft.

"Yes Lord Marshal," the man replied unhesitatingly. Apparently he was used to dealing with men who could kill him in an instant. "But we are ready to make the transition to the Underverse, and you are needed in the Command Center."

Riddick did not answer and finally the man began to fidget under his gaze.

Awkwardly, the man stumbled to dismiss himself and left, leaving Riddick alone once more in his room. It was time. As he pulled on his utilitarian black clothes and sheathed his hidden knives he reviewed his plan. He would make the mother fuckers pay; he would tear their 'Underverse' apart with his bare hands if he had to. He would avenge the death of Imam…And Kyra.

Quickly he left his room heading for the Command Center.

As soon as Riddick stepped into the Command Center he stopped short. Displayed on the view screen was a sight unlike anything he had seen before. Directly ahead of them was a giant neon cloud that twisted and writhed like a snake in the final throws of life. The cloud seemed almost to reach out to them as they sat poised just on the edge. Every Necromonger man and woman was staring at the sight transfixed: The Gateway to the Underverse.

Riddick shook off the awe inspiring sight with a slight shrug of his shoulders and took his seat in the center of the room. "Make this happen." He ordered, causing everyone in the room to jump.

A short, greasy man walked up to him, "Lord Marshal," he said self-importantly, "I am the new Purifier. I feel it is my duty to inform you that no one is allowed to pass the gateway of the Underverse without the Necromonger mark. If you pass through the threshold before you become one of us, before your time, you risk becoming forever damned to never rising again in the Underverse."

Riddick looked at him. "I think I'll take my chances." "_I am already damned" _He thought inwardly, "Now make this fuckin' happen."

The Purifier bowed and backed away to his seat.

Orders were given throughout the room and the lights dimmed. The sound of men and women strapping themselves into their seats filled the air. Finally all was silent.

"We are ready for the jump to the Underverse." Announced a young navigator.

The flight commander nodded and began counting down. "Ten. Nine. Eight…" A vibration started to spread throughout Necropolis. "…Seven. Six. Five…" The vibration became more and more intense as the engines revved higher. "…Four. Three…" A long mournful wail began. It started quietly and slowly built. It seemed be coming from all around them. It was the sound of millions of souls in pain. "…Two…" The wail became so loud that many began to grasp at their ears. "…One." A loud BANG, and the world seemed to explode into brilliant color and light. The wail seemed to reach into their very souls and tear at them. The citizens of Necropolis added to the wail with screams of their own.

The pain was almost unbearable. Riddick grasped onto the arms of his chair, his knuckles turning white, tendons and muscles clenching and bulging under the strain. His goggles didn't even help keep out the lights, they seemed to be dancing on his very eyelids. Just when the pitch of the wail became so intense that he felt as if he would be ripped to pieces from the vibrations –

Everything stopped.


	3. The Underverse

Chapter 3: The Underverse

Riddick awoke with a start and jumped to his feet. The blood rushed from his head, causing him to sway and almost fall. He was standing alone in the dark by what appeared to be the wreckage of the flag ship, Necropolis. There was nothing else around him as far as the eye could see. Honestly he was surprised he was still alive. He knew the risk he was taking traveling to the Underverse, but he also knew that risks were a part of life. Every day was a battle for survival, if you lived through the day you won. Riddick had long ago accepted that he might not always win.

After looking around and making sure he was safe, for now, he fell to his knees and retched. The wreck must have banged him up good, he thought, trying to focus his mind through the pain that racked his whole body. "_Well, nothing seems to be broken."_ He thought, testing his joints and limbs. He pushed himself to his feet, holding onto a piece of ship that was lying nearby for balance.

Slowly, Riddick began to search the wreckage and the surrounding area. There was no one, not one body. _"Fuck," _he thought,_ "in a wreck like that there was bound to be casualties."_ A distant sound like thunder attracted his attention. Glancing over his shoulder toward the sound he saw far to the South a slight infrared glow. _"Survivors?"_ He thought, and, making sure he still had his goggles on his forehead, he began to walk cautiously across the empty, dark field.

As he drew closer he realized that the glow he saw was not from survivors, but of four recently killed corpses. On closer inspection he found that the wounds these bodies had were not from the wreck, but from energy rifles favored by the Necros. Quickly he glanced around, in the distance he saw what looked like buildings, possibly the outskirts of a city. He straightened up, cracked his neck, and began walking toward the buildings.

The dark structures towered above him. They were more ruins than actual buildings and they seemed to be built along the same grotesque lines Necropolis had been. A tall wall covered in images of tortured faces surrounded the entire city. Tall statues of dying, agonized humans lined the streets, and scattered rubble made walking difficult. Riddick continued stoically on, searching for some sign of life.

Eventually the sky began to turn grey as the sun rose. Riddick decided to find a place to rest throughout the day, he noticed a doorway that was not completely filled with debris and headed toward it. Once inside he laid himself down and tried to get some sleep.

Riddick jerked awake after another nightmare, gasping Kyra's name. It was dark again and oppressively quiet. Too quiet. Riddick pulled out his knife and made his way toward the door. He could smell fear in the air.

FLASH!

Screams erupted out in the street and the sound of running filled the air. The flash of the energy bomb had nearly blinded him. He jerked away and as soon as the stars faded from his eyes he pulled down his goggles and looked out into the street. He could see people running, tripping and stumbling through the ruins in the dark.

Stepping quickly out the door and pressing flat against the wall, he moved toward the corner of the building where the flash seemed to have originated from. Glancing around the corner he saw a large group of men with energy guns marching down the cracked street. They were shooting at anything that moved. The panic of the running people was so intense Riddick could feel it palpable in the air.

Suddenly a young boy ran around the corner and bumped into Riddick. He fell, sprawled onto his back screaming. Riddick quickly put his knife away and grabbed the boy, clasping his hand over the boy's mouth. Moving back toward the door he just came from and pulling the boy with him, he whispered, "Don't make a sound."

The boy must have realized that if Riddick wanted him to be dead he would have been by now, because he stopped fighting and nodded against Riddick's hand.

Stepping into the building where he had spent the daylight hours, Riddick removed his hand from the boy's mouth. Looking down at the kid he asked, "What is your name?"

For a moment the boy looked too terrified to speak, but then he whispered, "Jack."

Hearing that name, Riddick felt as though he had been punched in the gut. "Okay, Jack" he said, "what is going on here?"

"The battle came into town." Jack answered shakily. "They have been fighting on the South side of the city for a couple of days; we don't know who they are yet or what they want this time."

"'This time'?" Riddick asked.

"Yeah. There is always a battle going on somewhere. Momma and I ran when we heard them coming." Jack answered looking at Riddick with some confusion at his apparent lack of knowledge.

"Where is your mom?"

"I don't know! We were running to my Aunt's basement when there was a bomb and I couldn't see her anymore." The boy began to cry softly.

Listening to the horror and blasts outside their building and knowing that whoever it was that was attacking the city would be searching all the abandoned buildings, Riddick squatted down in front of the little boy. "Could you find the way to your Aunt's house by yourself?" Jack nodded. "Show me." He said softly.

The boy grabbed Riddick's hand and headed toward the door. Riddick pulled him back with a jerk, and put Jack behind him as he glanced out the door. The main group of soldiers seemed to have passed, and all Riddick could see were people slowly coming out of hiding and searching for loved ones who had become separated in the mad dash for cover. He let Jack come out from behind him.

Jack quickly grabbed Riddick's hand again and began to dart from debris to debris. As the boy led the way, Riddick kept glancing around in the dark looking for anyone who may pose a threat. All around him he saw bodies and those left behind; a woman kneeling over her dead child, a man crying over his wife. "_It was a massacre."_ He thought. _"Who did this?"_ Anger began building inside him at the callousness of the people who had unfeelingly killed women and children.

Suddenly Riddick jerked Jack to a stop and pulled him behind a fallen statue. The movement was so quick that the boy let out a startled yelp. Telling Jack to stay there, Riddick looked out around the end of the statue. The man he had seen had stopped at the sound of Jack's yell, and was cautiously making his way over to the statue, gun unslung. Riddick pulled out his two knives, and with every muscle taught he waited.

The soldier slowly edged around the base of the statue, he was sure he had heard someone yell…Then the empty space in front of him was filled with a big, black shape. He didn't have much time to process this when he felt as if a hot brand had landed across his stomach. Dropping the gun and gasping, he grasped at his belly. With a slightly surprised look on his face he slowly tipped over backward, disemboweled.

Wiping the blood off his blade on the man's pants, Riddick turned and sheathed his knives. He walked back to Jack, who was huddled whimpering where he had left him. Riddick squatted down by Jack. "Hey, it's okay now. Are you ready to go?"

Jack looked at Riddick for a moment then nodded. "'kay."

Riddick helped him stand up and watched as the boy stubbornly wiped away his tears. He couldn't help but admire the kid's grit. It reminded him of someone else.

"Let's go." Riddick said.


	4. Safe House

-Chapter 4: Safe House

Finally, Jack dodged behind a large chunk of fallen building and stopped.

"There it is!" He pointed through the dark to a small sandstone house.

Riddick glanced up and down the currently abandoned street. "Clear, come on."

Grabbing the boy's hand, they ran across the street and Riddick yanked the door open and pulled Jack inside.

The house appeared to be empty, but Jack didn't seem worried. He walked over to the far corner and lifted up a dark red rug. There, hidden under the rug was a trap door.

"Down here! This is where me and Momma were going."

Riddick walked over to the boy and lifted up the trap door. There was a staircase leading down into the basement, and Riddick could see candle light illuminating the room. Quickly Jack ran down the stairs, "Momma?!" He shouted.

"Jack? How?..." Riddick heard a woman's tear-filled voice question.

Walking down the stairs, Riddick saw Jack enfolded in the arms of a sobbing woman who must be his mother. For a short moment he wondered what it would have been like to have a mother while he was growing up, what would have been different. Shaking off those thoughts he saw another woman rush over to Jack and hug him. She looked slightly familiar, but Riddick couldn't quite place who she was. This unnerved him. He could always place who people were and where he had seen them. His stare caused the woman to look up.

Recognition struck him like a brick wall; it was the woman from his dreams. The woman who had told him that he was Furyan. _"What the hell?" _Thoughts were racing around his head. Riddick quickly put up his guard, he didn't like surprises and this surprised the shit out of him.

The woman stood, her hand resting on Jack's shoulder. Recognition was shining in her eyes as well. She was tall and strongly built with long, curling sun-streaked hair. Her face was a unique mixture of strength, grace and beauty and there were fine lines around her eyes as though she had lived in constant fear for many years. _"Probably has, living here."_ Riddick thought. She was dressed in a long, red robe that wrapped around her muscular body. She gave off the aura of power and a lust for life.

"Jack," she said calmly, "you have not told us who your friend is."

_"Friend?" _Riddick thought, _"Ha! That's a new one. Sister, you have no idea who you're dealing with. I could take that as an insult."_

Jack turned, still enclosed in his mother's arms, toward Riddick. "After the bomb, I ran trying to find Momma and ran into him. He asked me to take him here and he kept me safe from the soldiers."

Standing up, Jack's mother said, "Thank you so much for protecting my son! My name is Lalia. We were separated by the blast and I couldn't find him anywhere…I hoped he had made his way here so when I came and found he wasn't here, I thought…" She broke down again, hugging Jack as if she would never let him go.

His face betraying no emotion, he looked on. Riddick understood the mother's fright and emotional state. Although he had not had the luxury of knowing love in his life, he understood it well.

"Yes, thank you." The woman in red said, "If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know."

"I would like to know what the hell is happening on this fuckin' planet." Riddick said slowly. All he knew was he seemed to have crashed somewhere in the Underverse and he was right in the middle of a war. He also knew that he had no readily apparent means of escape when he wanted to leave this planet, but he knew he would find something. He always did.

"By all means," The woman replied, "We are safe for the time being down here, let us eat and I will attempt to tell you everything you want to know." She began walking towards an ancient wood burning stove in the corner by a table and some chairs. Glancing back over her shoulder with a slight smile she said, "My name is Shirah. It is good to finally meet you face to face, Riddick."

After they had eaten a simple fare of protein waffles and a vitamin drink, Lalia went to put Jack to bed and finally left Shirah alone with Riddick.

Now that Jack was gone, Riddick felt safe to ask the questions that had been burning at him since he stepped onto his God forsaken planet. "Who the hell are you?" his deep voice growled softly.

Shirah sat back in her chair. "In order to make you understand I must repeat much of what you have already heard. We must go back into time, about thirty years ago."

Suddenly the room around Riddick disappeared and instead he found himself standing in the middle of a town square. People were running all around him, screaming, ducking for cover. Necromongers were marching throughout the city, killing as they went. Shirah stood next to him in the chaos as they observed the past.

"A few months over thirty years ago, Furya was attacked by the Necromongers. They stormed through, killing or capturing anyone who got in their path, much like they do on every planet they destroy - except for one difference. A group of Necromongers, led by a young commander, went from house to house looking for any males under the age of 20. Methodically, they killed them all."

The view changed and now Riddick was standing in a large, circular room. It was packed full of young men, boys - any male old enough to walk was being pushed into the room. When it became to full, the Necromongers began the slaughter, killing everyone. Riddick was sick as he saw children who could hardly run, struggling to escape. Anger filled him. _"How could anyone do this?"_

"They even went so far as to break into the houses, searching for any male infants, killing them in their cradles…" Again the view changed and Riddick could see a young woman screaming and trying to shield her baby with her own body. The basement slowly came back into focus. "They even strangled them with their umbilical cords."

Shirah paused to compose herself. Sadness and fury were written all over her face.

"I was there. I was once the high priestess, and I had the power of the heart and life force of Furya in my hands." She said, "But I was also that young mother. They stole my son from my arms and killed him in front of me." It sounded as though the very words were tearing her apart. "After they killed him, I forgot everything I knew and I fought them, but they paid me no heed except to capture me and bring me to be purified." Guilt filled her voice, "I should have protected Furya; instead I forgot them all except for my son. But once I saw the shattered world around me, I swore I would avenge the death of my son, and right my failure to protect my people.

"Many died on Furya, very few converted. We are a strong people; we believe in never bowing to any man; die to be free. But I knew that would not help me avenge my child. I converted. It was the hardest thing I ever have had to do, but I waited and I watched for my chance until finally I overheard the new Lord Marshal; the very man who led the Necromongers in the slaughter of the Furyan sons, speak to an Elemental of a prophecy. It sounded as though the Lord Marshal wished to know the odds that he met with success on Furya, whether he had killed the young Furyan male that could bring him to ruin and the whole Necromonger faith with him. The Elemental answered that the odds were good, and left.

"I now had what I was waiting for, a small hope and a plan to destroy the Necromongers. All I had to do was wait and search until I found a male Furyan survivor."

Riddick leaned back and looked into Shirah's eyes. There was pain and anger there, but also triumph.

"I traveled with the Necromongers for many years and learned much about them. I learned their weaknesses and I learned their strengths. I would be ready when the time came for me to act and help this young Furyan if he truly existed. However, on one particularly difficult planet, the transport I was on was shot down. Since I had taken the mark, I, as the Necromongers would say, 'crossed the Threshold' to the Underverse when I died.

"Here I have been waiting still. Until I sensed there did exist a single Furyan male with a gift. You. Your path was leading you straight toward the Necromongers and the Lord Marshal, so I came to you. I had to make you realize who you are. For your sake, and for the sake of all Furya, I gave you that mark."


	5. The War

Chapter 5: The War

Shirah looked pointedly at Riddick's chest. Glancing down he noticed that the hand print was there again, glowing a light blue.

"That mark identifies you as Furyan. It holds within it the heart and life force of the entire Furyan world, past and future. With it, you will be able to fight our enemies and seek vengeance for our kind. It will give you power when you have none left yourself."

Suddenly there is a loud crash from above, Riddick and Shirah jumped to their feet. Spinning toward the trap door Riddick waited, listening. The sound of many feet pounding on the ground above their heads as Shirah began to blow out all the candles, Lalia quickly joining her. Pulling off his goggles in the dark, Riddick crept toward the door, patient. Time passed, the foot steps began to lessen and then disappeared all together.

Shirah and Lalia breathed a sigh of relief, but Riddick stayed at his post by the door, settling into a more comfortable position leaning up against the wall. He watched as Shirah and Lalia found their beds in the dark, and gradually they all fell asleep.

That night Riddick dreamt, but for once instead of the nightmare that woke him reaching for a shiv and sweating, he dreamt of her: Her smile, her bald head and goggles back on T2, the way she had trusted him completely; "I never had a doubt!" she once said when he came back for her and Imam, huddled in a cave. Then his dream went forward in time to when he saw her sitting on a rock coiling up chain she had just used to kill a man, covering Riddick's ass. He heard her voice in his ear asking again how to get eyes like his; he could feel her breath against his neck. The incredible way she looked now that she was all grown up; deadly, but soft. He saw the way her eyes looked at him as she lay bleeding on the floor of Necropolis, trust, regret, and something he couldn't identify. He heard her tell him that she had always been with him.

A heaviness in his chest awoke him. He still sat leaning back against the wall by the stairs. Shifting, he leaned forward and bent his legs, resting his arms and head on his knees trying to steady his breathing. He felt loss, total and complete. He had nothing left in his life. Everything he knew was gone.

Reaching up he rested his hand on the top of his head, a subconscious gesture that eased the feeling of vulnerability. He sat that way for minutes, hours? thinking of Kyra, Imam, and the Furyan tragedy. The anger that had been building inside him since Kyra's death rose again and began to boil. He would avenge his people and his…_Friends_.

Standing, he glanced around to make sure everything was as it had been before he went to sleep. Jack, Lalia, and Shirah were still in their beds, the room was dark except for the small glow coming from the wood stove. Riddick grabbed his cloak and goggles and prepared to leave.

As he was about to open the trap door he heard Shirah's voice speak to him. "Where would you go?" She asked.

"South." He replied. "Jack said something about the battle coming in from the South."

Rising, Shirah walked toward Riddick. "I will go with you. I can show you the way."

"Look, sister, I don't like tag-alongs. I can find my own way and I don't need some new neck to save.

"This ain't no joy ride. I am here to kill these mother fuckers and that is what I am going to do." He finished, turning his back on her.

"I am coming whether you like it or not." She shot back, "Remember this, you don't scare me, Riddick. I am like you, I understand you. Besides" she added with a smirk, "you are young enough to be my son so don't you dare talk back to me."

Riddick stared at her, looking into her eyes he saw that she would indeed come whether he wanted her to or not. "Fine." He said, "But don't expect me to cover your ass." Pulling down his goggles he strode over to the trap door, looked back at Shirah and raised his eyebrows, waiting.

Shirah quickly wrote a note to Lalia and Jack, grabbed a cloak and moved to follow Riddick.

As soon as she was ready Riddick began to open the trap door and found it blocked. Something must have fallen on it the night before in the blast. Muscles straining he pushed, slowly edging it up. Finally the obstruction slide off the door and Riddick stepped up into what used to be the living room. Shirah climbed out behind him and gasped.

Her house was completely destroyed. They were now standing under the midday sun, surrounded by rubble. Riddick watched as she slowly looked around. "This was the closest thing to home I have had in over thirty years." She breathed. Straightening her shoulders she nodded to some internal decision. It was time to move on.

Keeping to the outskirts of the city they traveled. Shirah would occasionally point out a useful short cut or hiding place as they moved unseen through the middle of the battle zone. Soldiers were still lurking around every corner; spontaneous firefights would erupt adding to the carnage that already littered the ground.

After hours of running, ducking, and hiding they finally reached the southern edge of the city. Riddick glanced around, turned and stepped into a near by doorway. Following the passage they came to a spiral staircase and began to climb. Reaching the top of the staircase and seeing a closed door, Riddick pulled out his blades and cautiously opened the door. Stealthily he crept out and stood. His knives held vertically behind his arms, cloak blowing lightly in the wind he surveyed the sight before him.

Shirah came through the door behind him and stepped to his right, her breath caught in her throat. They were standing on the top of a guard tower facing towards the South and there, spread before them, were two armies; one with it's back pressed against the city walls desperately trying to keep from being crushed by the second, and much larger force, which had them surrounded on all three sides. Smoke, dust and the sounds of energy gun fire filled the air. Thousands of bodies were lying on the ground.

"Who are they?" Riddick asked, surveying the struggling men.

"Supporters of opposing Lord Marshals." She answered. "There have been six Lord Marshals since the Necromonger faith started. When they would die, they rose here in the Underverse. Each Lord Marshal has a following. They are in constant war with each other for the right to rule the Underverse.

"Necromongers are a violent and twisted people; they cannot and will not live in peace. They prefer death to life, pain to joy, and slavery to freedom. They seek only to rule each other and to destroy whoever they can. Riddick, we must find a way to get out of this place so we can return to Furya and help them start over. We cannot stay here or all will be lost. I am their priestess; I hold the only future Furya may have. I must give them back their heart and strength! Then, once we are a strong people again, we can all return and we _will_ avenge the murder of the Furyan sons."

Riddick looked down at her, his face unreadable. "I told you I don't like tag-alongs, they always seem to get in my way. Or dead." He looked out over the armies. "I am here to settle a score. Don't get in my way."

He turned his back and made his way down the stairs. Shirah stood alone for a minute then slowly she turned and followed Riddick.

Speeding up so that she would catch up with him, she said, "Riddick, there is no way you can do this by yourself. We need more people. There is an entire society spanning galaxies here that deserves to die and another society that deserves to kill them. Don't cheat the Furyans from their vengeance!"

Riddick exploded, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about! You think I am going to do this for the _Furyans?_ This is _my_ fucking fight. They took everything I know." Towering above her he pulled off his goggles and lowered his voice threateningly. "Don't fuck with me."

For a moment Shirah thought she was dead. She had never seen such cold rage on a face before. Rocking back, Riddick turned and walked away, readjusting his goggles over his eyes. She let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding. _"What happened to you, Riddick to make you so angry?"_ She thought as she cautiously began to follow him again. _"What made this your personal war?"_


	6. Uncontrolled

Chapter 6: Uncontrolled

Riddick found an abandoned shop close to the guard tower that was filled with canned foodstuff. Shirah kept her distance from Riddick, just following him quietly where he went and not questioning anything, not wanting to turn him against her.

After scouting out the building Riddick decided to make this their 'home base'. There was enough food here to last them for months, and its location was good; down an alley and well out of the main thoroughfare, it also would be easy to defend if necessary. There was only one door located on the first floor opening out into an alleyway from the main room of the store. Another door was located behind the counter, which led into a small stock room. A spiral staircase stood in the corner of the stock room and led upstairs to what seemed to be the main living area with a small, dank bathroom and single bed jammed back into the corner. There was only one narrow dirty window through which filtered a small amount of light located high above the bed that would be nearly impossible to climb through.

Walking back downstairs, Riddick walked past Shirah. "Stay." He ordered.

After his outburst earlier, Shirah thought it would be wise to listen to him. She watched him walk outside, adjusting his goggles to cover his eyes. She was still wondering what had happened to affect Riddick so. _"Something has happened to him, something that has nothing to do with Furya. But what?"_ She wondered. Shirah understood hatred, she understood pain and she saw both in Riddick's silver eyes. _"What happened? I must find out, and I must stop him from causing his own death with some suicide war he cannot win!"_

Riddick wound his way around buildings and fallen rubble back to the guard tower. Night was beginning to fall, allowing him to push his goggles up onto his forehead as he climbed the stairs to the roof. Stepping out into the night, he watched as the battle continued to rage. The smaller army had made some headway throughout the day and had pushed itself off the wall, depleting much of the larger army's tactical strength. Squatting down he began to study the two armies' movements; eventually he picked out their patterns. Watching, he found what seemed to be the center of command for each of the armies. Satisfied, he stood and headed back down the tower.

Exiting the tower, Riddick stepped into the thick black shadow along the city wall. Walking stealthily towards a small gate he saw two soldiers standing guard. Slowly he drew his two knives and shook back his cloak, taking a deep breath he steadied himself – then he launched himself onto the two guards. One quick swipe and they were dead, not having the chance to utter a sound. Whipping past them he slid through the open gate coming out to the rear of the smaller army. Crouching down he ran toward the command center he had spotted in the tower killing quickly, and quietly anyone who got in his way. The army was so distracted with the battle that he went completely unnoticed except by his hapless victims past the medic tent and toward a small tent brightly lit with electric lights fueled by a nearby generator. Edging up toward the opening of the tent he pulled down his goggles. Glancing around the flaps he quickly counted ten armored men standing inside gathered around a table covered in maps and battle plans. They each had energy guns strapped to their belts, and many had the battle axes favored by Necromonger warriors.

Lifting his two knives to chest level, he bolted through the door into the tent. Before they even realized he was there, the two commanders near the door were dead, blood gushing from their gaping throats. Moving so fast that he was a blur, he systematically slashed down man after man, the sound of men gagging on their own blood and moans filled the tent, only a few of the commanders were able to get off a wild shot before Riddick was upon them. In a matter of seconds, Riddick jerked his knife out of the last man's chest and looked around the room. Men were scattered around as though a bomb had gone off, some still twitching slightly as their nervous system shut down. Blood coated the floor making it slick as Riddick stood there; rage and vengeance burning in his eyes.

Suddenly, foot soldiers came running in, attracted by the sound of gunfire. All they saw was a split second view of a black cloak whipping through a hole cut in the back of the tent.

Riddick snuck back to the shop undetected by any of the Necromongers who were too distracted by the sudden loss of all their commanders to notice the man dressed in black creeping through the shadows.

Walking into the shop he saw Shirah heating some of the canned food in a bowl she must have found on a small, portable heater. Seeing her look questioningly up at him, he rolled his neck and moved upstairs to wash the blood off his hands and arms.

Standing at the sink Riddick looked up at the mirror lost in thought. He had killed those men cleanly and swiftly, a rage filling him so completely that after he left he had begun to shake. His hands were still trembling and he rested them on the edge of the sink. He had never felt this way before, he was always in control; he was no stranger to anger and the passion that it created in him, but this was different. He had never been left shaky before. _"You're getting soft."_ He said to himself, _"I always knew she would make you soft."_

Finishing washing the blood off, he grabbed a nearby towel, dried his hands and headed downstairs.


	7. Wait

Chapter 7: Wait

After eating the protein and vegetable stew Shirah had warmed up, Riddick leaned back in his chair that he had pulled up to the counter to eat, finally letting his muscles relax. The room was lit dimly by candle light so that Riddick could leave his goggles on his forehead.

Shirah watched him as she picked up the one-time-use-only bowls and utensils and they had used for dinner, and threw them into the garbage compactor. Feeling her eyes on him, Riddick looked up as she sat down across the counter. Shirah stared intently into Riddick's eyes, trying to read his emotions. His face remained blank as he gazed back.

"Riddick," Shirah began, "You would be about the age of my lost son…A few months younger of course, but about the same age. I often wondered what he would have been like now. Would he have been like his father, a Furyan Battle Commander? Or would he have been more like me, more interested in the supernatural?" She looked wistfully off into the distance, seeing once more the face of her long lost son. Riddick sat still, watching her as she spoke of her son. She had caught him off guard when she mentioned that he would have been about the same age as her son, it made him wonder about his own past, who were his mother and father? What happened to them? All he knew was what he had been told; he had been found in a liquor store dumpster with his umbilical chord wrapped around his neck. Until recently, he always believed his parents had abandoned him.

"What I am trying to get at is I would like it if we could at least be civil with each other. We are in this together, whether you like it or not. Please, I would like to be your friend; or, at least civil. Can we do that?"

With a slight smirk on his lips he said, "Sure, civil is fine."

Smiling, Shirah spoke again, "Okay then, now that we're 'civil', I would like to ask what you meant when you said that the Necromongers took everything you knew? I know they took you from your parents and planet, but you never knew them." Seeing Riddick stiffen, she said quickly, "Please, I need to know so I can know what to expect from you."

Riddick understood why she would want to know, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it. Something about Shirah made him want to talk however, he didn't know if it was because she reminded him of Imam whom he first told about his past, or if it was because she related to him in a way that could only be described as motherly. Making his decision he said quietly, "About five and a half years ago I left a planet with two people, a holy man named Imam, and a young girl who called herself Jack. I dropped them off on Helion Prime and left to keep the mercs from capturing them. A merc, named Toombs, finally tracked me down and told me I had a bounty on my head that originated from Helion Prime. After I ditched the mercs I went to pay Imam a little visit. He was the only one who knew where I was so he had to be involved with placing the bounty on my head, knowing that I would come to get rid of the bounty and hoping that I would help him with his little problem – the Necros.

"While I was there, the planet was attacked by the Necromongers. Imam was killed. The only man I ever trusted. I ghosted the man who killed him and met the Lord Marshall; I got away. Before he died he told me that Jack had gotten herself sent to Crematoria for killing some people, so I headed there. I found her and fuck if she hadn't grown up. I could hardly recognize her, but she remembered me. Changed her name to Kyra. We escaped the Crematoria slam by running across the surface. When we got to the hanger we were cut off by the Necros. They had followed me from Helion Prime. We fought our way through them but I got a glancing hit from an energy gun. That's when you showed up." He said looking up at her. "Kyra thought I was dead. She went with the Necros instead of staying there to die. I went back to Necropolis to find her, but he killed her when she stabbed him in the back- saving my ass. Again." By this time, Riddick had his head in his hands. "She was everything I knew." His voice began to rise. "I will kill every fuckin' Necromonger for taking her from me."

Shirah respected the pain she heard in his voice. Standing, she walked past him to head upstairs. She paused and lightly touched him on his broad shoulder, then left.

Riddick sat there with his head propped in his hands for a long while. Finally he walked over to the door, sat and propped his back against the wall. Though he tried, he couldn't shake the thoughts of Kyra that ran through his head. Once again, like every other night in the past five years, he fell asleep with her smile on his thoughts.

Riddick didn't wake until mid-morning and when he did it was to the sound of Shirah searching for something to eat. He squinted against the sun that filtered through the front windows of the store, and pulled down his goggles.

"Good morning!" Shirah said brightly.

"You too." He replied, raising his eyebrows slightly. He wasn't used to seeing such a happy face in the morning. At least not since he left Jack and Imam on Helion Prime. _"Jack always loved mornings."_ He remembered.

He walked over toward the door, glanced out and did a visual sweep of the alley way. All clear. He could hear the very soft sounds of people sneaking out of town or searching for food. He couldn't hear the sound of battle anymore. Stepping outside he cautiously headed back toward the tower to see the results of his handiwork. Reaching the roof he squatted down and surveyed the battle field. The larger army had obviously crushed the suddenly leaderless, floundering smaller army during the night. They were now spread out across the field. Riddick could see the soldiers resting, eating and talking amongst themselves. It would only be a matter of time before they would come into the city and make themselves at home. _"Good."_ He thought, standing and heading back to the shop.

As he entered he saw that Shirah had indeed found something to eat and now had two cans of fruit opened. She handed him a disposable fork and asked him what was happening.

Taking the fork, Riddick grabbed an open can of fruit and began to eat. Between bites, he caught her up on everything he thought she needed to know. "The small army that we saw seemed to be all that was left of their Lord Marshal's force. They owned this area. Last night the larger army who was attacking the city wiped them out. They should be setting up shop here soon."

Shirah was shocked and almost dropped her can of fruit. "But we should get out of here then, right? We can't just wait for them to come and kill us!"

Riddick continued to eat, "Just wait." He said.


	8. Scheming

Chapter 8: Scheming

Shirah felt nervous all day. Riddick came and went, scouting out the area. Shirah quickly got the impression that he didn't like to be around others. Understandable since he had been alone for so long. Respecting his wishes, she stayed behind in the shop trying to keep herself busy by investigating and organizing their foodstuff.

Finally Riddick returned in the mid-afternoon, but Shirah realized that he was not going offer any of the information he had found out. She had had enough, "Riddick! What is going on out there?" She demanded impatiently, "When are the soldiers going to be coming into town? Will they find us?"

Riddick turned to look at her, a smirk on his face, "Hey lady, you're awfully jumpy for a grocer." He said mockingly, glancing around at the organized and neatly stocked shelves. Sitting down in the chair by the counter, he continued on more seriously, "We're safe for now, the army is still resting. They are waiting for everyone else to arrive before they set up shop. The way it looks to me is that this was the final city on this planet that had not already been conquered by them. That smaller army we saw never got any reinforcements, they were alone and after that battle the big boys own this planet now."

Shirah nodded. Her fears were far from relieved, but she trusted Riddick to know what he was talking about. She knew that he would make sure he would stay alive. The only thing that concerned her was that she wasn't sure if Riddick would make sure _she_ would. "After they do come into the town then what are we going to do?" She asked hesitantly.

Riddick had been watching her face as she had been processing what he said. He could tell she was worried what would happen to her. _"I told her not to expect me to cover her ass." _He thought. Leaning back and closing his eyes underneath his goggles he answered, "I told you to wait."

For the rest of the day Shirah stayed out of Riddick's way. She spent most of her time upstairs lying on the bed. She had to figure out a way to get Riddick to take her, Jack and Lalia off this God forsaken planet. She was no longer young, and if she didn't leave this planet with Riddick, she didn't know if she ever would be able to leave. _"I have to get off this planet!"_ She thought, _"I have to figure out a way to take Jack and Lalia with me. They may be Necromongers, but they have always been good to me."_

After Lalia and her husband crossed the threshold to the Underverse they began to realized the lies that the Necromongers had told to them. Before Lalia's husband died, they had Jack. One of the _very_ few children born in the Underverse. In the battle that killed Jack's father, Lalia had run carrying Jack into a small house to hide. Shirah's. They had been close friends ever since.

"_Riddick is completely unreasonable. He cannot wipe out the Necromongers alone! Not only is it an impossibility since they span the entirety of the Underverse, but he would be robbing the entire Furyan race our chance at vengeance! We must leave this planet, we must leave the Underverse, and I must get to my people. They need what I have been holding for them for so long before they can destroy the Necromonger race! They need a leader, and they need their life force."_

Slowly a low hum caught her attention. _"What is that?"_ she wondered. Standing, she ran down the stairs to find Riddick. She found him standing in the door way, goggles down, looking into the sky. "Riddick?" She asked. He remained unmoved as the humming grew louder and louder and suddenly a dark shadow began to cover the city. Shirah gasped as a large Necromonger ship came into view. Stepping outside, they saw an entire armada complete with four giant transports, a dozen war ships and a tall, evil looking basilica with three faces; one looking in each direction.

"Holy shit." Shirah breathed.

Riddick turned and jogged toward the tower again, Shirah on his heals. Jerking open the door they watched as the ships began to land. The basilica was slowly set in the center of the field with the transports and warships set in a circle around it. _"Just like on Helion Prime."_ Riddick thought.

Turning around and looking towards the city, Riddick could see the remaining citizens gathering on the streets to watch the ships pass. Many knelt down, already accepting their new Lord Marshal; others kicked those who had knelt. Soon fights were breaking out in the streets, men and woman killing each other over a choice that they didn't have. _"Pieces of shit."_ Riddick thought, disgusted by the blood lust in these Necromongers.

A loud shout caught his attention. Turning back towards the battle field he watched as the largest transport opened to reveal the new Lord Marshal and his commanders. "LONG LIVE THE LORD MARSHAL!" The soldiers shouted, kneeling down in straight, even ranks.

The Lord Marshal Baylock the Brutal proudly surveyed his troops in the gathering dusk. He was satisfied with his progress. He had, in a matter of a single year, wiped out his rival Lord Marshal Kryll. He now owned this entire planet. Giving the order to recruit or kill everyone in the city, he turned and headed back into the ship.

Riddick and Shirah watched as the ranks turned as one and began to head toward the city. "Stick close." Riddick ordered. "If you don't, don't expect me to wait." Turning he made his way down the tower. Bewildered Shirah obeyed and quickly followed him. She was relieved that he even thought of her, but she was confused as to what his plan might be. All she knew was that she was _going_ to keep up


	9. Rage and Hope

Chapter 9: Rage and Hope

As Riddick and Shirah slowly exited the tower, twilight fell. Glancing through the thickening murky shadows Riddick led Shirah around toward the small gate he had used before, knowing that the army would be using the much larger gates further east.

Coming to the gate, Riddick pushed Shirah back with one arm against the wall as he looked out of the gate. He watched as the ranks past through the larger gate two hundred yards away, row after row. He could hear the sounds of energy guns and screaming beginning to spread throughout the city. He also saw many people making a run for it into the hills surrounding the battle field from other hidden gates like the one he and Shirah were at. One of the groups seemed to be led by a man dressed completely in black. His hair was slicked back from his forehead in traditional Necromonger style. _"Must be an AWOL Necro soldier."_ Riddick thought, turning his attention back to the army in front of him.

Finally, the last of the soldiers stepped into the city. Quickly, he grabbed Shirah's arm and drug her through the small gate. Letting her go once they were through, he crouched and began to run in the thick shadows along the hills surrounding the battlefield toward the ship compound. Shirah struggled to keep up with him in the dark, stumbling over hidden rocks and dips in the ground.

As they neared the compound, Riddick stopped and squatted down in an indentation on the hillside, removing his goggles. Shirah sat down heavily on the ground panting. Looking around, Riddick spotted a mid-sized warship set slightly apart to the outside of the compound. He looked around making a quick estimation of the fire power left in the immediate area.

Suddenly the sound of a small rock avalanche caught their attention. Across the valley, Riddick could see the same man who led the group of people from the city frozen against the hill. Rocks and pebbles bounced against each other tumbling down the hill. Quickly, an alert went up from the soldiers on guard. Soon a squadron of men poured out of a transport, running towards the sound. They started to head up the hill when a volley of shots rang out from the hills all around the valley. The Necromongers began shooting back causing a heavy crossfire. Men and women appeared from all around, storming the nearby ships. Soon the valley was filled with the sound of gun shots and the screams of dying warriors.

Riddick glanced at the ships, realizing instantly that they were preparing for take off to reach a safe distance from the battle in the sky. Jumping to his feet he tossed Shirah one of his knives, pulled out his two curved blades and jumped into the conflict. Slashing with deadly efficiency Riddick quickly gained ground toward the solitary warship. Shirah was staying in his wide wake, killing with some skill anyone who threatened her. As they neared the ship, the way became more and more crowded and they eventually came to a stop. Men were all around them shooting, and slashing with anything they could find. Riddick suddenly felt his left leg buckle. Looking down he saw a long, straight knife sticking out of his thigh. Grunting, he grabbed a hold of the handle and jerked it out. It had not hit the bone or any artery so he quickly straightened and continued to push himself toward the ship knowing that it would soon close. His leg was throbbing and it seemed as though everyone he cut down was replaced with two more. He could feel Shirah pressing her back against his, trying to stay upright in the press of battle. He could feel the blood covering his chest and arms, screams were coming from every direction.

He could feel the anger and frustration build inside of him, then, unexpectedly, the world became muffled. The pain in his leg receded. "_Necromongers." _He thought, _"Mother fucking Necromongers. A curse on mankind. They have taken everything from me. They took her. THEY took HER!" _Her face appeared clearly to him in his minds eye, the expression she wore as she sat watching him as he washed himself in Crematoria blazed in his memory. Suddenly he exploded into a frenzy of movement. Men fell around him as though a bomb had gone off. Filled with rage and hatred, Riddick roared, slashing at every warrior that was within reach. Shirah quickly backed away, dazed by what she saw. Riddick was a blur of swift, efficient movement. Spinning he kicked, slashed, punched and stabbed. Soon people began to back away from him knowing that proximity would mean certain death.

The world slowly began to come back into focus as the men around him gave way. Darkness was all around him. He heard yells and screams. He saw people running and stumbling in the dark, fighting for their lives. Suddenly a brilliant light flashed around him, causing him to duck and shield his eyes. The Necromongers had bombed the area to the north of them clearing out many of the rebels. As he staggered blinking, trying to clear the stars from his eyes, Shirah's face floated before him. "Vengeance belongs to _us ALL!" _She exclaimed, grabbing at him, trying to keep him from continuing his slaughter of the Necromongers, and attempting to drag him towards the ship.

There came another sound, the sound of a gasp of recognition followed by a scuffle. Riddick turned quickly towards the sound which originated near the warship, all he heard was a scream fading off into the bowels of the ship. "Riddick?!"

His heart stopped. He would recognize that voice anywhere. _"But how? She died!"_ He thought, confused. A thought struck him. _"The mark! She took the mark. She didn't die…she crossed the threshold!"_

Riddick took off at a dead run toward the warship, following the sound of her voice, leaving Shirah to follow as quickly as she could; luckily no one was left in his way as he tore across the field, jumping over bodies and craters left by energy bombs, the pain in his leg long forgotten. Leaping onto the ramp leading onto the warship he slowed, adjusting his grip on his knives.

Once inside the door he secured the supply hold and entered the door cross the room. He made his way steadily from room to room, only running into a few soldiers who died before they even saw him. Finally, he had cleared all the rooms and made his way toward the small command center. Glancing through the open door he spotted a small heap on the floor with long, curly, auburn hair. _"Kyra?"_ he thought feeling as though he couldn't breathe.

Stepping through the door he stood, looking deceptively relaxed. Every eye turned to look at him. Everything was still as the reality of his unexpected presence sunk in. All at once they attacked him. Leaping forward he beheaded the first man, spinning he slashed the next who had stepped forward across his lower abdomen, blood spattered across the floor. Even as Riddick slashed the man, he stepped forward and lodged his knife in the throat of a soldier who swung wildly at Riddick with his war axe. The man fell sputtering and gagging to the ground. Making one more turn Riddick rammed his second knife into the spine of the final soldier who crumpled to the floor instantly.

Straightening up, Riddick saw Shirah standing astounded in the door way. Ignoring her, he slowly turned towards the body he had seen. Taking a deep, steadying breath he walked towards her. Kneeling, he slowly turned her onto her back.

"Kyra."


	10. Life

Chapter 10: Life

Riddick quickly checked Kyra's vital signs. There was a faint pulse and she was still breathing, though shallowly. Hope leapt up in his chest. He jumped to his feet, bent and lifted her easily into his arms. Turning he brushed past Shirah who had been watching the scene quietly, and ran into the med lab. Setting Kyra on the table he turned to the computer. "On." He commanded. Instantly the screen turned on and the lights began to blink showing that it was ready. "Begin diagnostic." A low hum filled the air as the computer scanned Kyra. Information began to scroll down the screen. Riddick read it quickly, finding various slight internal injuries, probably from a severe beating. She was deeply unconscious but there didn't seem to be anything permanently wrong with her. Relief washed over him when suddenly there was a loud THUMP! on the hull of the ship. Shirah ran in, "Riddick, they are trying to disable the ship and come aboard!" she yelled. Riddick glanced quickly at Kyra, "Watch her." He ordered, "Continue diagnostic and give whatever aid she needs." Shirah nodded.

Riddick ran to the command center and quickly worked the control panel, preparing the ship for take off. The warship was not meant to be flown by a single man, so Riddick often had to stand and move around the room to complete the take off preparations. Finally the ship was ready and he sat down in the navigation chair, strapping himself in.

Shirah was busy working over Kyra. She had strapped her down in preparation of take off and was administering the drugs the computer had recommended into the I.V. After she finished she ran quickly to the flight deck to find Riddick. Bursting into the command center she sped over to Riddick as he was concentrating on the final steps for lift off. "Riddick?" Shirah asked.

Spinning towards her he growled "Get back to her." When she didn't move he yelled, "Don't just stand there, MOVE!"

Shirah tried not to cringe at the passion in his voice. "Riddick," she said firmly, "We must pick up Lalia and Jack. I cannot just leave them here on this planet. Please, let them come with us!" Riddick looked at her; she could feel his eyes burning through her from behind his goggles. "If you agree, I will go back to her." She said trying to meet his glare.

"Fine. Now GO." He said turning back towards the screen.

Shirah could feel a slight shift in the med lab as the ship began to lift off the ground. Quickly she ran over to a small flight chair, pulled it down from the wall and sat, strapping herself in. All of the sudden, G forces slammed her down into the chair as they shot into the sky leaving behind the final remnants of the battle.

Almost as soon as they took off, they began to descend again. The moment Shirah felt the ship touch down she unstrapped herself and jumped to her feet. She checked on Kyra who remained in stable condition. Riddick stepped into the room, "Go get them. I'll wait here."

Shirah was surprised that Riddick wasn't coming with her, but she wasn't about to argue. She ran to the hatch and then towards the pile of rubble that used to be her home.

Riddick stood over Kyra, occasionally glancing at the computer screen, monitoring her vital signs. He felt useless. He did not like not being able to do anything. He wanted something to fight. Sitting and waiting was not something he liked to do. Stepping forward he looked down at her. She was still wearing the black clothes he had last seen her in on Necropolis, but her hair was loose and framed her pale face. Without even thinking, he reached forward and gently pushed a stray hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. His emotions were in turmoil. Happiness, guilt, worry, and inexpressible joy filled him. _She was back_. He never thought he would see her again, and now here she was.

Riddick heard Shirah, Lalia, and Jack climbing back into the ship. He waited until they came into the med lab then turned and jogged back to the command center, without a word or a glance, to get them off the ground. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the Lord Marshal sent people after them. Strapping in, he worked the control panel once more and lifted off.

Shirah watched as Riddick went back to the command center, a mixture of powerful emotions flitting across his face. She told Lalia and Jack to sit down and strap in as she checked on Kyra's vital signs and straps one more time. Shirah had a feeling that Riddick would kill her without a thought if she let anything happen to this…Kyra. Sitting down and securing herself, she began to wonder about this girl that Riddick appeared to be so attached to. The girl looked to be no older than seventeen or eighteen. _"What is she to him really? Why is she so important?"_ Shirah wondered.

Riddick set the ship into a high orbit around the planet. He stood and walked back to the med lab. Entering he saw Lalia and Shirah looking out the small window at the planet far below, while Jack was busy exploring the lab. When they heard him enter, they all turned to look at him. Jack stood and ran toward him, stopping a few strides away. He looked at Riddick with absolute worship in his eyes. "You saved us from the soldiers! Thank you."

Riddick looked down at Jack, and then glanced up at Shirah. He knew he didn't deserve Jack's thanks. If Shirah had not used Kyra, he might have just flown away from that planet without looking back. Probably would have.

Lalia also was looking at him, though her expression was harder to read. "Thank you Riddick." She said, walked forward and took Jack's hand, leading him from the room.

Shirah also walked up to him and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. You have honor and strength beyond what is expected. You took us with you when you didn't have too. You do Furya proud." Turning, she too left the room.

Riddick was not expecting that statement. Shaking his head slightly he walked toward Kyra. He grabbed a chair and brought it over to the table. Sitting down he waited, and watched; lost in his own thoughts.


	11. Dead Planet

Chapter 11: Dead Planet

Riddick remained in the darkened med lab as the hours ticked by. He knew that time was short. The Necromongers would be tracking them down and launching an attack. It was just a matter of time, and it was running out. But Riddick couldn't make himself leave Kyra yet. He felt he had to stay until she woke up; he felt like it was his fault that all this shit had happened to her in the first place. Riddick wasn't used to guilt, but now it felt like it was eating him alive.

Finally he noticed a slight twitching in her eyelids, and then her eyes slowly started to open. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, blinking. Suddenly she began to struggle violently against the restraints; fear and anger were on her face. "Damn it!" she yelled, frustrated and scared by her inability to get free.

Riddick stood quickly and leaned forward, pressing his hands firmly but gently on her shoulders holding her down. "Kyra," he said, she froze at the sound of his voice.

"Riddick?" She asked softly. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me." He answered.

"No wonder it is so fucking dark, you asshole!" She said, her breathing heavy from the struggle with her restraints. "Lights!"

Riddick quickly lowered his goggles as the room lit up and then turned back to Kyra. "Don't move." He ordered as undid her restraints.

Immediately Kyra tried to sit up, propping herself on her elbows. "Shit, slow down." Riddick said, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from rising any further. "I don't need you to pass out. I need you to help me fly."

Kyra glanced up at him, pain stabbing through her head. She nodded as she inched up a little higher. "What in hell are you doing here, Riddick?" She asked. "How is it even possible that you _are_ here?"

With little emotion, Riddick filled her in on the important points. As he did so, Kyra finally sat all the way up. Pressing her hand to her forehead as her head began to seriously throb, she looked up at Riddick as he came to the end of his story. "So, you thought you'd borrow a warship to get the hell out of there?" She smirked. "Good idea, it even looks like you borrowed the one I was going for."

Riddick let out a short laugh, "Well, you learned from the best."

Suddenly the lights turned red and began to flash; a high, wailing siren filled the air.

"Fuck it!" Kyra yelled as the siren doubled the pounding in her head.

"Can you walk?" Riddick demanded.

Kyra nodded and quickly swung her legs over the edge of the table, grimacing at the pains in her abdomen. "Shit, they really worked me over didn't they?" she said.

Sliding off the table she stood, instantly she swayed and almost fell. Riddick grabbed her around her waist and supported her as they made their way to the command center. On their way they met Shirah, Lalia and Jack as they came out of their rooms to see what was happening. Kyra looked up at Riddick questioningly, "Later." He said.

"I guess you have more to tell me." She muttered as they continued on their way with the other three now in tow.

As they entered the command center, Riddick led Kyra to the co-pilot's seat where she immediately turned off the sirens. Riddick sat in the pilot's seat assessing the threat that had set off the alarm. Shirah, Lalia, and Jack quickly took seats in the back of the room.

Riddick instantly took command. He saw that the Necromongers had finally tracked them down and they had less than two minutes before they would be attacked by the four oncoming warships.

Checking their condition, Riddick gave Kyra directions to take them into a lower orbit and slow them down. Kyra glanced at him disbelievingly, but kept her mouth shut and did as he said. As they dropped altitude, Riddick was looking quickly over the planet's strategic information. _"Hah!"_ Just as he thought. Scattered at even intervals over the planet's surface were the giant basilicas. Just like on all the planets that the Necromongers wiped out.

Riddick knew enough about the Necromongers to know that there was a switch on every Necromonger warship and transport that initiated their Final Protocol. The final weapon the Necromongers used after they had taken all the converts from a planet that they could.

Glancing at the speed and altitude Riddick began to work on a small key pad located to the left of the flight controls, trying to decipher the code. After working on it quickly for a couple of minutes he finally heard the beep indicating the code was correct. Standing he moved to the center of the room. Pressing a button on the pedestal next to the ship commander's chair, a figure began to rise from the pedestal. It was the figure of a writhing man, who was to be grasping a bar that went completely through his head with a look of indescribable pain and terror etched on his face.

Finally everything was ready and he returned to his seat and took control back from Kyra. She sat monitoring the pursuing ships. Turning to Riddick she said, "Riddick, they are right on our ass. Aren't we going to turn and fight?"

Keeping his attention focused on controlling the ship he asked, "Distance?"

"Forty point two kilometers, they'll be within firing rang in fifteen seconds." She replied.

Riddick began counting in his head. At less than a second to go, he threw the controls forward, causing them to rocket downwards toward the planets surface. Warning systems began to go off as Riddick held on, muscles straining to keep the vibrating ship under his control.

"They are continuing pursuit." Kyra announced.

Through gritted teeth Riddick said, "Kyra, get your ass to that pedestal. I'll fly the ship. When I tell you, you shove that fuckin' lever down. Move!"

Kyra quickly unstrapped herself and headed up towards the commander's chair. She was still dizzy but she made it before the dizziness overcame her. Kneeling, she grabbed onto the bar that ran through the figure's head. "I'm ready Riddick."

The computer began squawking, "Low altitude. Descent not good. Impact imminent if course is not altered."

Riddick waited a split second longer, than suddenly he pushed enter on the keypad confirming the code, and pulled back on the flight controls; the muscles in his arms and chest bulging, sweat dampening the back of his shirt. "NOW!"

Kyra pushed down on the lever with all her strength.

All across the planet the basilicas opened. A large, blue energy ball floated out of the top. Necromongers across the planet stopped what they were doing and watched; not believing what they were seeing. Suddenly the ball dropped, sending out a shock wave that wiped out everything in its path.

In the pursuing warships, the commanders were just about to issue the order to break off because it appeared that the unidentified rebels were on a suicide course, when the ship they were chasing pulled up at an impossible angle! As it shot into the sky everyone in the command center instantly saw the shock wave flying towards them. "UP! UP!" the commanders yelled. The wave hit! All four war ships tumbled end over end as they were incinerated.

Riddick, Kyra, Shirah, Lalia and Jack all watched as the planet erupted into flames. "Fuck you." Riddick spat at the ruined civilization and destroyed war ships as they continued to pull away from the now dead planet. Glancing over his shoulder at Kyra he said, "That was for you."


	12. Relief

Chapter 12: Relief

The relief in the command center was palpable. Shirah and Lalia stood, looked at each other and burst out laughing from sheer joy. Jack stood as well, and just looked around the room in apparent awe; he had never seen anything like the command center before and he was just itching to explore it.

Kyra slowly stood. Her dizziness was beginning to pass, as was her headache. She walked down toward Riddick. After all that had happened, she was filled with so many emotions to see Riddick again. She still had a hard time believing he was here. Stopping right over Riddick's shoulder, she watched as he pulled up navigation maps and coordinates, searching for the Threshold.

"We're finally heading back?" Kyra asked quietly.

"Yeah. I have some business to attend to back in the real world." Riddick said, finally finding the coordinates he was looking for.

He entered them into the Nav computer and leaned back. He checked the time it would take to arrive at the Threshold. "We have time to get some sleep." He looked back at the three in the back of the room. "Everyone get some sleep. I don't know how it was getting here for you, but when I did it, it wasn't fun."

Lalia grabbed Jack, who was staring wide-eyed at Riddick, by the hand and pulled him back to the room they had chosen. Shirah nodded and followed them from the room.

"Fuck you Riddick." Kyra snapped, "Who the hell said you could order me around?"

Riddick turned to her with a smirk on his face, leaning back against the pilot's chair and crossing his arms. "You have a problem with my orders Kyra?"

Raising her eyebrows, Kyra stepped closer to Riddick until they stood tow to tow. "Tell me what the hell is really going here, Riddick. It looks to me like you have picked up yourself another dumb ass kid who will follow you around blindly. I'm surprised. I never really pegged you as someone who likes company. What the hell are they doing on this ship and where are we going after we get out of this place?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Riddick's mouth. She was the one person who could always stand up to him. Impressive. Slowly Riddick stood, causing Kyra to take a small step back, and nodded. "Fine, make yourself at home." He said, gesturing towards the copilot's chair.

Kyra turned and sat down, cringing slightly and lightly rubbing her bruised ribs. Riddick waited until she sat and then turned to sit in the pilot's chair again. He told her how he had first seen Shirah when he was traveling to Helion Prime, how she told him about Furya, how she told him _he_ was Furyan. He talked about coming to the Underverse and met Jack which led him to meet Shirah in person. He told how Shirah had bought Lalia and Jack a ride on the ship by helping her. He finished by saying. "I'm heading to Furya, and Shirah wants a ride for her and the other two. Thought I'd bring them along, might be useful somewhere down the line."

Kyra laughed a short laugh, "Okay…Now what the hell is wrong with Lalia? She hasn't said one word yet and seems to be scared to death of you. Though, you probably take that as a compliment, don't you?"

Riddick chuckled low in his throat. Turning to glance at the computer screen he said, "We still have some time to sleep." He stood and turned to walk out of the command center.

"Good night Riddick." Kyra said softly.

Riddick paused, "Good night Kyra." Shaking his head slightly with a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, he left heading for the barracks.

After several hours of sleep, Riddick rose and headed back to the command center to check on their status. They still had some time before they arrived at the Threshold, so he leaned back and propped his legs up on the flight consol. Crossing his arms he relaxed, letting his mind wander. Instantly, his thoughts turned to Kyra.

Memories flashed before his eyes causing him to smile. He couldn't believe how she had grown. She was still young, but she had the air of someone much older; a toughness and strength that he recognized because it was much like his. He felt off-kilter when Kyra was around, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. He had felt this way ever since he had first seen Kyra in Crematoria, ever since she had boldly looked back at him with her dark eyes. There had always been something about her that had inspired him to protect her when he wouldn't have protected anyone else, but now that inspiration had deepened into something else. Something that made him willing to risk his own life for her.

A soft beeping coming from the Nav computer alerting him that they were approaching their destination interrupted his thoughts. Looking up at the view screen he saw the Threshold twisting and writhing. _"Here we go again."_


	13. Back Through the Threshold

Chapter 13: Back through the Threshold

Riddick walked back through the ship, pounding on doors to wake everyone up. As he pounded on the last door, he heard Kyra groan sleepily than yell, "I'm up, I'm up! You sure haven't learned any new manners." She opened the door pushing her loose hair out of her eyes. Riddick stared at her a moment through his goggles. _"Holy shit."_ He thought. The few hours of sleep had done her a world of good; she was no longer deathly pale but had good color in her face. Her blue eyes were now clear and alert, full of life. _"Beautiful."_

Ignoring his reaction to her, he said, "We're at the Threshold, I need you at the command center."

Nodding, Kyra walked past him towards the flight deck, pulling her hair up into a loose knot. For a second Riddick stood there watching her walk, enjoying the muscles play across her back as she worked with her hair. With a half smile he followed and took his seat. Lalia, Jack and Shirah made their way into the command center and once again strapped themselves in.

Riddick and Kyra worked quietly at the flight controls for a couple minutes preparing the ship for the jump through the Threshold. Finally they were ready. Riddick glanced over at Kyra, he didn't know if the transition would be any easier for her than it had been for him since she had the mark. She looked back at him, and he could see that she was a little unsure of what was to come. He reached over and grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Memories of when he had last done that came into both of their minds. She squeezed back and gave him a nervous smile. Still holding onto each other's hand they turned forward. "Hold on." Riddick said pressing the final sequence. The wailing began slowly like before, than BANG! The world exploded into color and light. Forcing his eyes open behind his goggles, Riddick turned to look at Kyra; her eyes were shut tightly and she was grasping his hand as though it was her lifeline. As the wailing grew more intense so did the pain, the very air was vibrating. Riddick could hear Shirah, Lalia and Jack adding to the wailing with their own screams. Finally, it all stopped.

Riddick slowly came to, still strapped into his chair. Instantly he looked over to Kyra; she was still out but he could feel a strong pulse in her hand that he was somehow still holding. Turning he checked on the other three. They appeared to be alright so he looked back at the command consol. The ship was flying smoothly through space with no damage reported from the jump through the Threshold. Riddick slowed them back down, now that they had made the jump, to normal shipping speed.

Kyra started to stir. Riddick watched her as she stretched, breaking their grasp on each other's hands and then opened her eyes. She looked over at him and asked, "Did everything go okay?"

"Yeah." Riddick answered and heard the others begin to stir.

Kyra and Riddick both glanced back and Kyra called out, "Are you all okay?"

After taking assessment of themselves and each other they nodded. Shirah stiffly unstrapped herself and walked down to them. "Hello. I don't think we've met properly. I'm Shirah, and you're Kyra?"

"Yeah. Riddick told me about you. Nice to meet you." Kyra replied slightly uncomfortably, remembering the manners her mother had drilled into her from the time she could talk until she had run away from home.

Shirah gestured back at Lalia and Jack who were slowly pulling themselves off their chairs, "This is Lalia and Jack. Lalia has been a friend of mine for years; since shortly after Jack was born."

Kyra nodded at them and Jack quickly marched down to Kyra and stuck out his hand. Kyra grinned and shook it. Jack then walked over to Riddick, watching every move he made as he continued to check the ship's systems and familiarize himself with his newly acquired ship. Kyra chuckled, Jack reminded her of herself when she had first met Riddick. A lot had changed since then.

Standing suddenly, Kyra left the command center heading back to her room to take a shower.

Standing underneath the hot spray Kyra let all the sweat and grit that had accumulated over what seemed like lifetimes wash away. Watching Jack had reminded her of the hell that had been her own life, both before and then again after Riddick had pulled her and Imam off T2 and left her. She scrubbed harder and harder as she remembered all the creeps who wouldn't leave her alone, even though she had only been a child! Then the slavers had gotten a hold of her. She started to scrub so hard that it left long, red welts all over her body. _"But,"_ she thought with a vicious pride_, "at least I ghosted them all." _

After being slaved out, she had discovered something in herself that she had never known before. It was like an animal. That is when she had changed her name to Kyra and was sent to the slam on Crematoria for single handedly slaughtering her twelve slavers with anything and everything she could get her hands on. She had survived there in Crematoria for roughly three and a half years, learning how to fight and protect herself. Dreaming that Riddick would come and get her out of that shit hole. Then she would force herself back to reality when she woke; realizing that she was the only one she could rely on: Right here, right now.

Then he miraculously showed up, exactly the same as when she had last seen him; reviving her hopes and dreams. It had also brought back the anger she had felt when he had left her in New Mecca with Imam. She had never belonged with Imam or in his lifestyle and Riddick knew it. She was like him even though both he and Imam tried not to let that happen. She belonged with him, even if he was always on the run from mercs. That was the lifestyle she had been made for, the fight; the challenge; the danger. It drew her and made her feel alive.

But he had left none the less, and then just showed up out of the blue like some sort of guardian angel. And he had saved her just like she had dreamed he would.

Kyra finished her shower and stepped out, drying off with a soft towel. She had gotten one of the commander's quarters so everything was first class. She brushed out her long, curly hair and pulled in back into a braid. Dressing quickly into her dark pants and tight black shirt she headed out of her room.


	14. Keenan 4

Chapter 14: Keenan 4

Over the next few days Kyra got to know Shirah and Jack pretty well. Lalia stayed to herself a lot; which was because Lalia grew up a part of an extremist Muslim group, Shirah told them; which made her extremely shy and nervous around men in particular and people she hasn't known for long periods of time.

Other than Lalia's silence everyone got on pretty well; Shirah took Kyra under her wing and began to look at her like a daughter. Kyra was slightly uncomfortable with the attention since she had been on her own for so long, but at the same time she rather enjoyed it. Jack followed Riddick around constantly although Riddick ignored him for the most part and when he did acknowledge him, it was only when necessary; Kyra continued to watch them, a smile playing around her lips.

Their course was a steady heading toward the planet Furya with only a few slight detours to keep them out of well populated star systems and well known merc shipping routes. The entire trip would take a couple of months. Riddick regularly checked the ship for a tail. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before the mercs were onto him again.

There was a continuing tension between Riddick and Kyra that had first started on Crematoria and had been building gradually ever since. They were two stubbornly independent people who found themselves drawn, in whatever way, to each other and they wouldn't admit it, even to themselves.

Riddick spent a lot of his time separated off from everyone else, he had never enjoyed being on long interstellar flights; stuck in one small area for months. Boredom quickly set in. He was good at waiting, however, and spent most of his time quietly watching the others interact, especially Kyra. He noticed that she often separated herself off from the group, much like him; needing time to be alone. He had noticed a lot about Kyra, trying to figure her out; he found however, that there was very little she did he didn't already know; didn't already understand. They were incredibly similar.

Shirah was also keeping a close eye on the ships inhabitants. She saw the tension between Kyra and Riddick; she saw the way Riddick's eyes followed Kyra; she also saw the way Kyra looked at Riddick, with awe, trust, pride, and something else. Shirah smiled to herself. She was looking at a girl in love. _"Does Riddick realize it yet?"_ she wondered.

Several weeks past with little excitement when Riddick told everyone that they needed to land at the nearby planet of Keenan 4 to refuel and pick up supplies "This ship will draw a lot of attention so we'll have to work fast. Shirah and Lalia will go get the supplies we need. Kyra, you'll stay with the ship and help with the refueling. We'll get in, and get out. Everyone got that?

Three heads nodded, they all understood the importance of speed and drawing as little attention to themselves as possible.

"We'll be there in three hours." Riddick said.

"Unidentified craft, what is your class and purpose?" The radio crackled.

"I found this ship abandoned in the Luna System, we are landing to refuel and stock supplies." Riddick answered.

"Number of passengers on board?"

"Five, including myself." He drawled.

"Permission granted for landing. Welcome to Keenan 4." Came the bored response.

Riddick turned off the radio and prepared for final descent.

Several minutes later they touched down and opened the hatch. "Lets go." Riddick said.

Shirah and Lalia left after giving Jack strict instructions to stay aboard and stay away from the hatch.

Kyra jumped down out of the ship and headed for the refueling hanger. When she emerged a minute later, she nodded subtly towards the ship, giving the okay so Riddick jumped out and headed to the refueling hoses. They worked together quickly, Riddick carrying the massive hoses while Kyra worked the mechanics; men were busy on the other side of the ship loading the hold with the supplies Shirah and Lalia had ordered. Finally Riddick and Kyra were finishing up, carrying the final hose back to the hanger when they saw Shirah and Lalia coming back and entering the ship.

Suddenly there was a shout from the men who had been loading the hold, they were pointing toward the refueling station where Kyra and Riddick were. Glancing around Kyra and Riddick saw a small group of men exiting the hanger; their guns were drawn.

Looking back at the ship, Kyra saw Lalia appear at the hatch calling for Jack in a quietly panicked voice.

"Fuck!" Kyra yelled when she saw Jack standing outside of the ship near the hold. He had apparently climbed out and had been talking to the men, who had then called someone: Security? Mercs?

Riddick grabbed Kyra around the waist and threw her to the ground as shots erupted from the group of men; he landed on top, protecting her from the shots. After the first volley they scrambled to their feet and ran towards the ship.

The men were advancing; bullets were flying all around them. Riddick kept hold of Kyra as he dodged back and forth trying to make as difficult a target as possible.

Kyra could see Lalia still at the hatch, struggling against Shirah who held her fast inside the ship, screaming for her son who was standing a short distance away frozen in terror. Without warning Kyra suddenly dodged to the right, away from Riddick, running straight towards the scared little boy. Grabbing him up, Kyra struggled to keep running to the ship with his added weight.

Riddick had almost reached the ship when he stopped and turned. He saw Kyra struggling to carry a boy who was three quarters her size and get to the ship before the men caught up to them. "Shit!" Riddick ran quickly back to Kyra, tore Jack from her arms as he grabbed her hand and ran back to the ship. He practically tossed them both in before he climbed up himself.

Pushing past a stunned Shirah and a sobbing Lalia who was reduced to a crying mass on the floor, he ran to the command center with Kyra at his heals. Within seconds they had the ship off the ground.

"You do not have permission for take off. Land your ship immediately." The radio snapped.

Riddick ignored them as they continued to prepare the ship to pass through the planet's atmosphere. "LAND YOUR SHIP NOW or we will be forced to launch security ships to bring you in."

"Fuck it!" Kyra shouted as she saw two armed forces ships take off. "Here they come!"


	15. Loss

Chapter 15: Loss

Riddick quickly began counter measures attempting to outrun the pursuing security ships into the neutral territory where the armed forces could no longer follow. Both Kyra and Riddick were kept very busy for the next several minutes; time seemed to hold still. Finally they were almost there, a few more seconds and they'd be free.

Suddenly the entire ship jolted, sirens sounded, and the power flickered.

"Fuck! We have a hull breach in section 3! We're hemorrhaging air." Kyra shouted, her fingers dancing over her flight console.

"Shut it down!" Riddick yelled back gripping the flight controls with intense concentration trying to keep the bucking ship under control.

Kyra quickly locked the damaged section down, closing the airlocks to preserve all retained oxygen and to create a tough shield against the vacuum of space.

They finally crossed over into neutral territory and the security ships reluctantly turned back. Riddick turned to Kyra and ask, "Damage?"

"I was able to shut down that section in time. We still have over sixty percent oxygen in our tanks and the entire section is blocked off. Our air recycling system should replenish our oxygen within a day. I think we're okay." She said, slumping back into her seat, "Those jerk offs just had to get a shot off huh? Shit." She turned to him and smiled.

Riddick couldn't help smile back when he saw the way her face lit up. They heard a sound from the back of the room. Turning back they saw Shirah standing in the doorway: She was covered in ash and there were burns on her hands and long robe.

"Oh, shit." Kyra said, dread was beginning to build in her chest. "Where is Lalia and Jack?"

"They're gone." Shirah choked, "They got caught in the blast. They were pulled into space. They're gone." She kept repeating it over and over as though she would understand it if she said it enough.

"Oh God, no!" Kyra stood quickly and stepped toward Shirah, but she held up her hand and slowly turned and walked out of the room. Kyra stood frozen, her back and shoulders stiff.

Riddick watched her as she stood. He could see the tension vibrating through her. "FUCK!" she screamed. Suddenly tears started to flow down her cheeks, she quickly tried to wipe them away but they just kept coming and coming. "Fuck it, Riddick." She said brokenly as her shoulders slumped.

Riddick stood slowly and walked up behind her. He put his hands on her upper arms, and Kyra turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist; burrowing her face in his chest. Riddick wrapped his arms around her and just held her as she sobbed, knowing that there was nothing that he could say that would make it any better. He knew _her_, and he knew that this wasn't just about Lalia and Jack's death.

Finally Kyra's sobs began to subside, and she asked quietly, "Why does everything have to end all fucked up?"

Pushing her away from him slightly, Riddick pulled off his goggles so he could look her in the eye, "Not everything, Kyra. You're alive. You come to appreciate that eventually." And he pulled her back into his arms.

The ship was quiet the next few days. Shirah was taking the loss by far the worse. She kept to her room and was only seen when it was absolutely necessary for her to emerge to eat.

Neither Kyra nor Riddick mentioned Kyra's break down again. They slipped into a comfortable routine, much like the one that they had back on the skiff after T2. They could often anticipate the other's moods and needs and rarely needed to vocalize them.

Kyra habitually went to the Necromonger practice room; just whenever she felt like beating stuff up. She would often fight against the practice dummies and practice throwing her many hidden blades. It calmed her nerves and made her feel like she had some control or power in her life.

One evening Riddick walked into the practice room and spotted Kyra doing push ups on the floor. He came to a halt, suddenly feeling as though all the breath in his body had been punched out. He saw her long, lean body showcased in some tight black shorts and a wife beater; every muscle was tight as she worked. The firm muscles in her arms, back and shoulders glistened under her sweat slicked skin. Her hair was damp and beginning to fall out of the low pony tail she had pulled it back in, framing her face. Her legs were straight and rigid as she pushed herself up over and over again. She looked dangerous and powerful. He could smell her; her sweat and something else that was unique to Kyra. _"Beautiful."_ He thought.

He leaned against the doorway crossing his arms, enjoying the show. Kyra finished her push ups and tucked her knees under her chest and sat up. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned and looked at him. _"Holy shit."_ She thought, noticing the way his muscles stood out under his golden skin even as he stood completely relaxed; he even was smiling that little half smile that had always made her heart stop. _"Give it up,"_ she inwardly kicked herself; _"he will probably never see you as anything but a little girl. Or in any way you would ever want him to see you."_

They remained looking at each other silently for several seconds before Riddick slowly turned and walked out of the room.


	16. The Game is On

Chapter 16: The Game is On

As Riddick walked away from the practice room knowing that something had changed between him and Kyra, something that he couldn't and _wouldn't_ change. He wanted her. He had seen the way she had been watching him, he had always shrugged it off as a young girls crush; an extension of the hero worship that she had shown him on T2. But not anymore. He had been in that room, he had felt the electricity that had arced between them and he knew: This was no little girls crush.

He smiled slightly to himself and he returned to his bare room, he knew Kyra would be a challenge, even if she did want him as well. It was in her very nature to defy anyone and anything unless she was in control. He also knew her past, how she had been abused by people she had trusted; her family; the fucking mercs she signed on with when she had tried to find him.

"_Nice and easy does the trick."_ He smiled to himself, _"This is going to be fun."_

Riddick was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Shirah standing in the doorway of her room. She was watching the play of emotions and thoughts on his face and she glanced back down the corridor retracing Riddick's steps in her mind. Her eyes fell upon Kyra who was just emerging from the practice room, a slight blush staining her cheeks as she mentally kicked herself for being so caught off guard by seeing Riddick watch her. Shirah nodded slightly and a smile twitched the corners of her mouth. _"So it has started."_ She thought to herself as she quietly backed into her room and closed the door.

The next morning Shirah reemerged from her room; the lines around her eyes and mouth were more pronounced than ever, and there were dark shadows lurking under her eyes, but she was determined to continue with her life. The time for grieving was past; she would not let grief kill joy.

She met Kyra in the galley as she was making herself something to eat. "Hello, Kyra. How are you this morning?"

Kyra turned around and with a smile she answered, "Fine. You look like you are feeling better, I'm glad."

She turned back to heating some sort of mush that was supposed to be oatmeal; she didn't want to push Shirah too much. She tensed slightly; she had heard Riddick enter from the flight deck. _"Shit,"_ she thought; half impressed, half annoyed, _"he always seems to be awake first."_

He nodded to Shirah and walked over to reach up onto a shelf over Kyra's head, pulling down a cup. Kyra stiffened; he was standing a little closer than was absolutely necessary. She could feel his hard chest and stomach lightly touch her back. He pulled the cup down and stepped to her side, touching her softly on the small of her back with his hand; tracing a feather light path with his fingers.

A shiver tingled through Kyra, but she quickly stepped away; totally off balance by Riddick's completely abnormal actions. Being off balance always pissed Kyra off. She liked being in control of situations, "Shit Riddick, an 'excuse me' wouldn't be fuckin' uncalled for." She spat.

Riddick looked down at her with a poorly concealed smirk on his face. "Oh," he said softly, "excuse me." He filled up his cup and walked out the door leaving Kyra standing, staring after him with turmoil evident in her eyes. She eventually turned back around, grabbed her oatmeal and, leaning back against the counter, began eating her oatmeal in quick, angry spoonfuls.

Shirah silently went about the business of making herself breakfast, forcefully suppressing a chuckle.

A couple days past, and Riddick continued his slow assault on Kyra. She was fuming at him and he knew it: He knew what it meant as well; he made her uncomfortable, he was the one controlling the situation and evoking feelings which constantly put her at his mercy. She hated it…He was having the time of his life.

Shirah just sat back and enjoyed the show, she could see the struggle within Kyra as she rebelled at the vulnerability that Riddick made her feel, and she could see the quiet war Riddick was waging against Kyra's formidable defenses. Shirah had to admit that Riddick was good; he never did anything so blatant that Kyra could call him on it, he never gave her any ammunition against him, but he toyed with her just enough that she could feel it and it left Kyra staggering, uncertain; and therefore, livid.

Kyra knew that something had changed with Riddick, she knew that he had been tantalizing with her, if that was the word, but she also knew that there was no way she was going to make herself even more vulnerable to him by asking him about it. After all, he might be pulling one of her own tricks out of his hat, using sexuality for some sort of advantage; to catch someone off guard, to lure them close enough to jam her shiv into their heart. Riddick had left her before; he might do it again.

She had no reason to trust him and she was angry with herself when she found that she was beginning to. She had learned over and over that trust only meant pain, and she was not going down that road again. Standing, she left her room; heading once again to the practice room to beat the shit out of some inanimate object


	17. The Kiss

-Chapter 17: The Kiss

Author's Note: A lot of you may not understand parts of this chapter or the next unless you have read the book or seen the Director's Cut of Chronicles of Riddick. Just thought I'd let you know so you don't think I'm totally insane. :)

Riddick heard muffled thwacks coming in lightning fast succession. Walking closer to the practice room he began to hear the soft expulsion of air and quiet grunts Kyra let out every time she hit the bag.

Entering the room he watched her through his goggles, admiring the way her muscles worked in perfect harmony and the easy coordination she exhibited. Kyra was so involved in her routine that she didn't see him. As he continued to watch he began to notice a slight drift with her left elbow as she snaked her fist out to make the punch, this was causing her wrist to compensate in order to make a solid hit; it was only a matter of time before it caused some serious damage to her wrist.

Riddick stepped forward, drawing Kyra's attention.

Kyra's heart leapt when she saw him, as always, but her defenses went up instantly as well. She wasn't going to let him put her off balance this time. Watching him out of the corner of her eyes suspiciously, she continued her strikes. Riddick walked around to stand closely behind her, slightly to her left. As she threw her left arm forward, Riddick lightly tapped her elbow in towards her side, causing her light jab to rock the heavy bag.

"You let your elbow drift when you use your left, keep it tucked in when you jab." Riddick said softly right into her ear, sending shivers running up and down her spine.

Shaking it off and ignoring his close proximity, Kyra nodded and continued her routine; jab, jab, power, jab, jab, right hook. "Like that?" she asked.

Riddick smiled slightly to himself as he stepped closer so that his chest rested against her back. "Here." He said, he reached around and gently held onto her small wrists with his hands. He could feel her breath catch in her throat. Slowly he followed her routine, keeping her left elbow tucked in properly with his own; jab, jab, power, jab, jab, right hook. "Like that." He said, reluctantly letting go of her wrists. Unable to resist, he leaned slightly farther forward and slowly breathed in her smell.

"Like THIS?" Kyra said and suddenly elbowed him in the gut. All the air was knocked out of him, and her sudden action left him momentarily stunned. With a quickness that amazed him she spun and hooked the back of his knee with her foot and pulled, landing him on his back. Kyra instantly jumped back so she was just out of reach of his legs so he wouldn't be able to kick hers out from under her as he lay on his back.

Riddick jumped to his feet in one fluid, powerful movement. They faced off. Riddick could see that she was ready to kick his ass or die trying. He could also see the anger, frustration, and longing mixed with doubt shining from her eyes; doubt that he really meant what he had been subtly telling her with his actions over the past week, doubt that he could ever want her or even think of her as something more than some kind of annoying little sister.

Pain and anger stabbed through him: Pain that she was so tore up inside; pain at the thought of her doubting that he could want her; anger at himself for ever leaving her in New Mecca in the first place; anger that he had had too; anger a the bastards who had made her so full of fear, doubt, and antagonism; but more than anything, anger that she felt so alone.

Stepping forward so quickly Kyra didn't have time to respond, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ground so that she was at eye level with him, he shoved her lightly against the padded wall. She would no longer doubt him, she wouldn't be alone; she was _his_, and he would do anything for her. Tearing off his goggles, he threw them onto the floor. He looked straight into Kyra's eyes as he held her against the wall. Holding her gaze he slowly leaned forward and gently touched his lips to hers. Little by little her eyes closed and she lifted her hands that he had freed to the back of his head, drawing him closer.

Feeling her respond to him sent a wave of emotion through him like he had never experience before. He closed his eyes as the wave washed over him; humility, pride, hope, protectiveness, possessiveness, _love._

As the kiss deepened, a pale blue light began to fill the room. Suddenly Kyra stiffened and gasped, she opened her eyes which instantly met Riddick's silver gaze. With a slight exhalation of breath, she went limp.


	18. The Mark

Chapter 18: The Mark

Riddick was frozen in shock, _"What the fuck!?"_ he thought as he gathered her limp form gently into his arms. "SHIRAH! Get here now!" he yelled.

Within seconds Shirah ran into the room, "What? What's going on?" She asked. Her eyes went straight to Kyra, and then back up to Riddick's shocked face. After accessing the situation quickly she visibly relaxed. "Riddick, it's okay." She said walking toward them.

"Bullshit!" Riddick spat. "Prep the med lab. Now!" he roared when he saw that Shirah didn't respond but continued to walk towards them.

Shirah lifted her hands towards them, trying to get him to calm down. "Riddick, it's alright. Put Kyra down, she'll awaken shortly. Here, let me take a look at her." She said and laid a hand on Kyra's shoulder and looked up into Riddick's eyes, "Lay her down… She'll be okay Riddick."

Shirah watched the momentary struggle take place behind Riddick's mercury eyes. Finally, gently, Riddick kneeled and laid Kyra on the padded floor. Kneeling also, Shirah took Kyra's vital signs. "Everything is fine, Riddick. She is as strong as ever." With a slight laugh she added, "Maybe even stronger."

Riddick's eyes darted up questioningly from Kyra to Shirah.

"There is something I should tell you…Maybe I should have told you about this sooner, but I wasn't sure…" She shrugged. She scooted back and leaned against the wall that just moments before Kyra had been pinned against. Riddick remained kneeling next to Kyra, holding onto her hand feeling as though he couldn't loose the physical connection with her yet.

Shirah began, "On Furya, men and women share much the same rolls; there are those who are given to study and the mystical – they often become priests, priestesses. Like me. There are those who are given to animal husbandry and agriculture – the farmers who provide our world with food, clothing. Then there are those who are given to battle, honor, and strength – The warrior's who fight and die to give our world freedom, and life.

"These are, of course, very broad categories and are by no means a 'rule', but they are as generally true on our world as they are on others. Furya is different than most worlds, however, in that the warrior calling is by far the most highly honored. The warriors provide us with the two things we Furyan's value above all else; freedom and life.

"There are different levels of warriors. There are those that have the basic skills; then there are those that are amazing to behold in battle, those that can wield the power of the entire Furyan world – alpha Furyans. I had believed for years that they are all dead; killed by the Necromongers when they attacked our world without warning to murder our sons."

Shirah paused for a moment looking at Riddick, "But I was wrong. You are the last alpha Furyan, Riddick, you proved that you are when you wielded your power at the moment I gave you your mark on Crematoria.

She waited a moment for that to sink in, then continued, "As I said, men and women share similar rolls on Furya including the roll of warrior, women are as lethal of warriors as the men are on Furya, because what they may lack in strength, they make up for in speed. After watching your Kyra, I had begun to wonder if she was not also Furyan. Now after today, I know she is."

Looking down at Kyra's face, Riddick asked, "How do you know? How are you sure?"

"Because you chose her." Shirah answered simply, he looked back up at her and she smiled as their eyes met.

"On thing you need to understand is that Furyan's are a race of survivors –warriors - and we are stronger as a people when our individual families are strong. Since the beginning of history each family on Furya has been almost unbreakable due to one trait we all share: We are drawn to our perfect match; the one person who can complete us, the one person who has strength where we are weak, weak where we have strength. For example, Furyan warriors are typically drawn to other Furyan warriors; this creates a perfect team in battle. Each protects the other.

"How I know that Kyra is at least part Furyan, is because alpha Furyans are _always_ drawn to other Furyans, never to anyone outside our race, and almost always to other Furyan warriors." She said looking at him, "I have seen how you two interact; Kyra is an extension of you, you are an extension of Kyra. Together you create a formidable team to be reckoned with."

"But what is wrong with her now?" Riddick asked, tired of listening to a mystics poetic speech, "Why did she pass out?"

"One of the biggest differences between men and women on Furya is their marks. Men are given the mark by a priest or priestess as they grow into adulthood, as are women. However when a woman is chosen by, and accepts, a man her mark is changed. It becomes a sort of link between the man and woman.

"Now unless I am much mistaken, you did something that showed Kyra your feelings towards her and she must have accepted it. Am I right?"

Riddick nodded slightly.

"Kyra has never been marked; so you, in essence, gave her the mark – a mark that matches yours. Kyra is probably not a full blooded Furyan, so that is why it was so difficult for her to receive the mark. But do not worry Riddick; _your_ Kyra will be fine."


	19. Joy

Chapter 19: Joy

When Shirah said "_your _Kyra" a feeling rushed through Riddick like he had never felt before. Complete and utter joy: Kyra was _his_, and he was hers. He had never belonged to anyone or to anyplace and suddenly he felt as though he did. He belonged to _her_.

He looked down and lightly brushed a stray hair out of her face. Feeling his touch, Kyra began to stir. Her eyes opened and quickly darted around the room. "What happened?" she asked, jerking up into a sitting position. Her eyes darted between Shirah and Riddick, "What the fuck happened?" she repeated.

Riddick up looked expectantly at Shirah, who nodded and began to tell Kyra what had happened much like she had told Riddick. Riddick watched Kyra closely as Shirah spoke, watching her cheeks flame when Shirah spoke of how Kyra received the mark. Finally Shirah told Kyra what she believed about her parentage and then asked her, "Did you know your parents Kyra?"

Instantly the defensive walls rose and Riddick could see all expression erased from her face. "I knew my mother." Kyra answered stiffly, "My father died shortly after I was born. I was raised by my mother and my step-father." She said the last word as though it was the filthiest word she knew.

"Do you know anything about your biological father? Where he was from?" Shirah prodded.

"No. My mother never spoke of him to me. My step-father wouldn't let her. Every time she would mention him, he would beat her to a fucking pulp." Kyra spat.

Riddick unconscientiously squeezed her hand, just letting her know he was there and he understood. Kyra had long ago told him about her step-father. He was the reason she ran away from home and the reason she decided it would be best to travel as a boy. Her step-father had always been abusive to her and her mother, but as she began to hit puberty he began to notice the slight changes in her body and began trying to touch her when her mother wasn't looking. One day he grabbed her and tried to stick his hand down her pants. She had struggled away and was saved when her mother walked into her room. That night she stole all his cash and ran away.

Kyra felt Riddick's squeeze and it helped to calm her over-wrought emotions, "Do you honestly think that my father was Furyan?" She asked.

"Yes I do." Shirah said. "I have no idea who he was, or what he was doing all the way across the universe, but I do truly believe that he was Furyan."

Shirah stood. "I must go; I cannot sit on the floor for long anymore…These old bones…" Smiling, she walked out of the room leaving Riddick and Kyra alone, still sitting on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Riddick asked.

"Yeah." Kyra answered glancing up at him and then quickly looking away trying to hide her discomfort and the slight blush that climbed up her cheeks. She was, once again, off balance and felt extremely vulnerable. But this time she couldn't muster up any anger to shield herself, and now was just very unsure as to what Riddick was thinking; after all, he had just kissed her and she had passed out cold.

The silence seemed to be drilling into her head. Unable to stand the discomfort any longer she stood and began to leave the room.

"Hey." Riddick called softly as he stood.

Kyra stopped and turned to look at him.

They stood looking at each other for several seconds, or was it minutes? All discomfort melted away as they looked at each other as though they had never really seen the other before. Maintaining their eye contact, Riddick walked forward slowly until they were standing face to face. He raised his hands and gently ran them up her shoulders and placed the on either side of her face. His thumbs ran smoothly up and down her cheeks, memorizing the way she felt.

Tentatively, as though asking for permission – an odd action for him - Riddick slowly tucked his finger tips back into her hair; running them along her scalp and the base of her neck. Kyra's eyes fluttered closed as she felt the heat radiating from his touch. Her hands seemed to move on their own volition and rested on his waist, grasping the sides of his black wife beater.

Riddick took a step closer and lowered his head to breathe in her scent, his lips brushing gently against her ear. "You are beautiful." He whispered softly sending shivers down her spine.

Everything inside Riddick was screaming for him to kiss her, to lay her on the floor and take her. But a small voice from the back of his mind softly reminded him of what she had been through, how unsure she still was underneath her suave, supremely confident shell.

"_But she wants you!" _his animal side growled back. _"No. It's not time."_ he thought, he pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against the top of hers, trying to slow his heart rate and pull himself under control again. He had never had anything worth anything before, now he had something; something absolutely precious to him. He would not risk losing it; he would _not_ risk hurting her. She was still young and she had been used and hurt by too many people. He would not do anything she was not ready for, even if it killed him.

He stepped back, meeting Kyra's eyes and smiled. A brilliant smile flashed across Kyra's face, her eyes lit up and at that moment she looked like the Jack he had known on T2: Happy, and full of unwavering trust in him.

Riddick lightly caressed her cheek one more time before he turned and led her from the room. He knew that he had made the right choice; Kyra could begin to trust him again and that was all he wanted. For now.

Over the next several weeks life on the ship changed drastically. Kyra and Shirah became even closer as Kyra spent hours talking to Shirah about Furya and its people. Riddick spent a lot of his time listening to their conversations, learning about his people as well.

His life had changed over night; he now had someplace he belonged and a people that he belonged to, though a large part of him was still rebelling at the thought of belonging to a people. To him, it sounded too much like chains. But, above all he had Kyra and she brought more happiness and light into his life than he had ever experienced. His heart and demeanor began to soften after years of hardness.

He spent hours talking with her and watching her; memorizing every expression, every nuance. There were times when he would have to leave the room when he was nearly overwhelmed with the desire to touch her, kiss her, or take her into her room and make her truly his. He would then often go to the command center, watching the stars as they danced in the view screen and he would listen to her as she moved throughout the ship. His favorite sound was the sound of her laughter which had begun to ring out more and more often as she began to let her guard down.

Kyra's life had also changed drastically. She no longer watched Riddick and Shirah's every move, waiting for them to leave her or hurt her in some way. She had never been so happy or complete before in her life; she belonged with Riddick now, and he knew it and even better than that, he _wanted_ her with him. They had spent almost all their time together talking, training and playing. That's right, Riddick could _play_. When Kyra was first tackled by Riddick and tickled until she couldn't breath she was shocked. It even turned out that he was ticklish if you knew exactly where and how to tickle him, Kyra made sure she practiced enough to become an expert at it.

Kyra wondered, at times, why Riddick had never again tried to kiss her. She longed to feel his lips pressed against hers again and the warmth of his hands against her body. She had seen the way he looked at her when he didn't think she was looking, and the way he would suddenly leave a room if she was in it. She knew that he still wanted her, but something was holding him back. It was time, she decided, that he made the next move. And she was going to make sure that he did.


	20. Driven Insane

Chapter 20: Driven Insane

They were now only two weeks out from Furya. Shirah's excitement was overflowing causing a pleasant tension to follow her around everywhere she went. She hadn't seen Furya for over thirty years and she couldn't wait to finally be home again and finish the work she had started when she left those many years ago.

Meanwhile it was getting harder and harder for Riddick to even be in the same room with Kyra, everything she did affected him; the way she moved, her hair, her smell. Since they didn't have many clothes on board she had taken to wearing his pants held up around the waist with a belt so she didn't have to wear the tight black Necromonger pants. They itched she said; so now she would walk around wearing his pants hung low on those smooth, round hips with her tight, black long-sleeved shirt. He had never seen anything so sexy before in his life. He secretly enjoyed the fact that she wore his pants; it was, in a way, a sign of his claim to her. She was the only person he had ever let close enough that he would share his things with her. And she was torturing him with them.

They continued with Kyra's training, she was a quick learner and could even get in a few good hits once in awhile against him now. He learned that she would always take the hit if she could; never played nice and would often fight dirty if she could get away with it. He knew that someday, that could keep her alive.

As they trained together, they were also learning each other's strengths and weaknesses. Though Riddick moved with almost blinding speed, Kyra was faster, extremely agile and light on her feet; Riddick found that he could use that to their advantage when they fought together, using her almost as an extension of his arms as they had done when they were fighting the Necromongers on Crematoria.

It was late evening, and Riddick and Kyra had just finished up a training exercise, Kyra had left to take a shower after having worked up quite a sweat, but Riddick had stayed a while longer and continued punching the heavy bag trying to burn off some of the spare energy he had built up from being stuck on a ship for two and a half months. Finally finishing up, he headed to the galley and dimmed the lights so he could pull off his goggles. He grabbed a cup of water and leaned back against the counter to drink, enjoying the feeling of the water cooling down his overheated body.

As he relaxed in the dim room, Kyra entered and quickly spotted Riddick standing by the sink. She smiled at him and continued to the shelf to grab a cup for herself. Turning to the sink she glanced up at Riddick who didn't move, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Ass." She snorted as she reached around him, filling her cup with water.

As she did so, Riddick suddenly became aware that his joke may not have been the best idea. She was wearing his pants again and he could see the soft curve of her back between the hem of her shirt and the beginning of his pants. _"Damn, what a view."_ He thought looking down. Kyra was temptingly close and he could smell the light scent of the shampoo she had used. It was driving him insane. _She_ was driving him insane and he had had about enough.

Without warning he put his hand on her shoulder turning her around to face him. He reached down and grabbed onto her narrow waist, intoxicated by the feel of her curves. Slowly, torturously, he lowered his head; his lips stopping millimeters away from hers and he waited. If she wanted this, she would have to take the next step.

Kyra looked straight into his eyes; the only person who ever dared to really look him in the eyes, and then quickly closed the final distance pressing her lips against his. Almost instantly Riddick took control of the kiss, pressing Kyra against him. The feel of her body pressed against his closed his mind off from everything except her: Her feel, her smell, her taste. Slowly he deepened the kiss, flicking his tongue against her lower lip; her lips parted and he slowly, seductively, began exploring her mouth with his tongue.

He could feel his heart thudding against his ribs, and his breathing was becoming labored as the kiss went on. Seconds before it became too late to control himself and he took her there in the galley, he gently broke the kiss off and looked at Kyra questioningly, pleadingly. She nodded slightly, and that was all he needed. He leaned in and kissed her like a man who had been starving. As he did so, he began to walk backwards towards the door way, pulling Kyra along with him. His hands found their way under her shirt and he felt the soft flesh along her waist and back. Both of their breaths were coming in gasps between kisses now as they exited the galley and turned down the corridor to Kyra's room, Riddick still leading the way.

Shirah had just begun to exit her room and head towards the galley when she saw Riddick leading Kyra through the door into Kyra's room. She stood still for a moment, slightly embarrassed by what she had just witnessed, but then she smiled. Riddick had, after all, already chosen Kyra and Kyra had accepted; on Furya that was considered a marriage because once a man and woman chose each other, it was rare that they separated. Her priestess training came into effect and she silently said a little chant that a priest or priestess would say when a man and woman began their life together. Finishing up, she thought,_ "I hope they enjoy their 'wedding' night."_ Shirah grinned; honestly she had very little doubt that they would.


	21. Good Morning

Chapter 21: Good Morning 

Kyra awoke the next morning wrapped in Riddick's arms and held firmly against his warm, muscular chest. A smile played on her lips as she remembered the night before. Riddick had been so gentle and tender with her. He had treated her like she was some sort of precious, fragile jewel. After living the past four and a half years on her own, most of which was spent in the dog eat dog world of the slam system, Kyra had almost forgotten what gentleness was. The last place she had expected to find gentleness and love was from a man who could kill another man with ease and whose life was so full of harshness and cruelty. And yet he had given her more gentleness and love than anyone she had ever known; she had felt it in his every touch, his every kiss, his every look. She had never felt as safe before as she did right that moment; lying in the notorious Richard B. Riddick's arms.

She rolled over to face him and to admire his strong, handsome features. The room was dim and his goggles were off; Kyra reached forward and carefully traced her fingers down the center of his face, running them softly over his sleeping eyelids. A smile tugged at his lips as he slowly opened his silver eyes, meeting hers.

"Hey." Kyra said smiling as Riddick ran his hand down the side of her face.

Riddick grasped the back of her head and drew her in for another kiss; savoring the way she felt and tasted; the way her small frame fit so perfectly against his.

The kiss became more and more intense and suddenly Kyra flipped him onto his back, her body resting on top of his. An evil little smile played across her face. He reached his hands up and rested them on her bare hips, _"Here we go again."_ He thought, as a smile matching hers broke out on his face. _"Hell, yeah."_

They spent most of the day in Kyra's room; learning each other, talking, even just lying wrapped around each other in silence, enjoying the others closeness. Finally hunger overcame both of them so they dressed and headed for the galley. They worked together trying to find something to eat and then at preparing it. Little touches were shared between them; Riddick's hand on the small of Kyra's back, her hand running down his smooth, muscular arm. The intense feelings that had sprung up between them finding some release in these small touches and a deep companionship was evident between the two. Riddick even let out a genuine laugh when Kyra splashed spaghetti sauce on her shirt as she poured it into the pot. She stood there for a moment and then flicked the goopy stuff onto him. Instantly he attacked her; pinning her against the wall and then he began tickling her! Trying to catch a breath, Kyra reached out and lightly pinched the lat muscle right under Riddick's right arm. Immediately he dropped her and bent to guard his side. "Ha! I got you!" Kyra laughed as he tried to scowl at her and failed.

He reached forward and pulled her into a hug; both laughing. Shirah walked into the room smiling. They pulled away from each other slightly and nodded at her, acknowledging her presence. She raised her eyebrows, "Long time, no see." She said teasingly.

Riddick looked at Kyra and grinned when he saw a blush creeping up her cheeks. She seemed like a heartless, tough bitch and that nothing could shake her on the surface; but he knew there was more there than what met the eye. Much more. Together they turned back to preparing their dinner.

Shirah reached into the refrigerator, pulled out a leftover cold sandwich and sat down at the small aluminum table beginning to eat. She sat enjoying watching the other two interact. She had seen the way Riddick's guard had come up again when she had stepped into the room and the rather protective stance he maintained around Kyra. She knew that it was nothing personal, Riddick had always been protective of Kyra and now he was just more so. He didn't want anyone, or anything, hurting her again.

When they had gotten the spaghetti heating on the stove Riddick left to check on their progress and the ship's systems. According to the Nav computer they should be arriving at Furya in less than twelve days. A sense of excitement and restlessness came over him as he studied the planet's schematic. This was where he came from, where his family had been; maybe where some even still were. This was the place that would better define who he was, help him understand his strengths and weaknesses. This was a place where maybe, just maybe, he could rejoin the human race.

He had never really felt compelled to try and rejoin the human race before; to begin with, he had told Carolyn the truth when he said he wouldn't know how, but it was more than that.

The human race had treated him with nothing but hatred and fear as far back as he could remember; from the orphanage he had grown up in to the foster homes he had been dumped in. Then, after his last foster father had beaten him close to death, Riddick had grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and sliced him open. That had been when he had discovered the sweet spot; when he had heard the whispers for the first time telling him where to aim, how to move, how to fight…How to kill. From then on, his life had been lived running from greedy mercs and getting sent to slam after slam. He didn't trust people, he would never trust people.

Until now. Kyra had turned that all around, he still did not trust anyone else; but he trusted her. He didn't know when or how it had happened, but he knew in his brutally honest soul that he trusted her.

They were the same; they shared similar pasts, similar battles within their lives. They had both killed when they had been used, finding justice for themselves because no one else would give it to them: He, his foster father; she, the slavers who had abused her. They had both been sent to slam for that justice at very young ages.

He knew and understood the fury and hate she felt towards the whole system, the fury and hate which had caused her to risk her life trying to take out just one more of the fucking guards on Crematoria.

He didn't want her to spend the rest of her life running with him all across the Universe, hiding from mercs, dodging slams. He wanted something better for her. She inspired him to want to rejoin the human race; for her sake, for _their_ sake. To create a new beginning for them both.

Sitting in the pilot's seat of a Necromonger warship he decided: He _would_ create a new beginning for them; he would rejoin the human race. For her. Even if he had to wipe out half the population of the Universe; even if he had to kill every single merc and destroy every single slam. He would fight to make Kyra safe. He would carve out a place for her in this messed up universe with nothing but his shivs if he had to. Even if it cost him his life, Kyra would never have to run or look over her shoulder again. 


	22. Furya

Chapter 22: Furya

They settled into a high orbit over Furya as Shirah was pouring over a schematic of the planets surface, trying to pinpoint the best place to land the ship: They wanted to be close enough to civilization so they could walk there easily, but far enough away so that they would not be seen. As she searched, Riddick and Kyra sat in the pilots' seats watching the planet's surface float by below them.

It was a beautiful planet with emerald oceans and huge, dark green continents. White clouds were floating slowly across the lower atmosphere. Two moons were circling the planet; one setting, the other rising. The single sun was shining from behind the ship, throwing the entire surface of the planet into sharp relief.

"There." Shirah pointed on the schematic to a small valley just west of a low mountain range. "The main city is located on the other side of those mountains. At least, it was thirty years ago. If we land here we probably won't be spotted and we could hike to the city in several hours."

Riddick nodded and entered the data Shirah gave him into the Nav computer as Kyra prepared the ship for entering the atmosphere.

Shirah walked to the back of the command center and strapped herself in as they began their descent.

Riddick brought them down quickly but quietly realizing that if the Furyans saw a Necromonger warship there would be trouble.

Finally, he lowered them through the thick canopy of trees, landing softly on the forest floor. The tension and excitement in the room became palpable as Kyra and Riddick shut down the engines. Shirah stood quickly and walked towards them. "Are we ready? Can we go?" She asked, as excited as a little kid on their birthday.

"Yeah." Riddick answered. He looked over at Kyra as they stood; she returned his look. He would finally be able to learn about himself and she knew how much that meant to him, even if he never showed it. He had always felt as though a large part of himself was missing and here was his chance to find it. "Let's go." She said, reaching out and taking his hand. Shirah was practically dancing on her toes as they headed toward the hatch.

They stood outside the hatch staring around them. Huge, ancient trees spread for as far as the eye could see, creating woodland archways filled with golden light. A soft, warm breeze was blowing, bringing with it the fresh clean smell of grass and leaves. A nearby brook gurgled as it rushed down the foothills of the mountains. "It has been so long!" Shirah whispered; tears were pooling in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "So long."

They stood there looking around for almost a minute before Riddick broke the spell. "Come on." He said, beginning to walk east toward the city Shirah had shown them on the schematic.

After a couple hours they had finally reached the top of the low mountain range. They stopped to rest for a bit since Shirah was not quite as able as she used to be. As they rested, Riddick walked to the edge of a small cliff surveying the vast panoramic view. Kyra walked up to him and quietly slipped her hand into his; together they stood, both lost in their own thoughts. Several minutes had passed when Riddick turned to Kyra and tucked a curly strand of hair that had become loosened from her braid by the wind behind her ear. Bending down he kissed her, holding her chin with his thumb and forefinger. His back was towards the sun so he pulled up his goggles. "I love you Kyra." He said softly, looking her straight into the eyes, "I want you to know. I love you."

Happiness filled Kyra's eyes. She threw her arms around his neck pulling him down to her. She realized at that moment how much had changed. For both of them. They had both been alone for so long, building strong defenses against the world; against anyone who would try to hurt them…_everyone._ But now they had each other. She smiled and lightly kissed his neck, "I love you too, Riddick." Pulling back slightly she smiled into his face and pulled him down again for one more kiss.

Riddick grinned back at her, and lost himself for a moment in her kiss. After they broke apart he maintained his hold on her hand and, making sure Shirah was ready, they began heading once more towards the east.

They finally arrived in the outskirts of a large city. It looked like a once beautiful city that had been rebuilt after being nearly destroyed. There were still deep indents scarring the ground were explosions had created craters; homes and buildings had carefully patched cracks and rebuilt roofs; the brick streets had permanent scorch marks and evidence of some newer bricks being laid next to the old to fill in the holes.

Shirah stopped them before they left the forest to enter the city. "We must be careful; I am not sure how we will be received. It looks as though there have not been many new faces here in a long time, probably not since the Necromonger attack. I do not expect anyone to recognize me, and if they do, they may not greet me with open arms. I chose to convert rather than fight - though I did fight in my way; and not many will understand that. Please, let's keep a low profile until we reach the capitol building and speak to the Elders." She said this last looking at Riddick. She knew he would be hard to miss, he was not only naturally striking and drew the attention of people around him, but he also let of the aura of power and threat which the Furyans may not like…_ "At least, not yet."_ She thought.

Riddick just looked at her, and remained still. He would do what he would do. Nothing she said would change it in the slightest so there was no reason to argue or agree. Shirah became uncomfortable under his intense gaze and stood, turning towards the city. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the unfamiliar streets that she knew so well.

As they walked down street after street, winding their way toward the capitol building located at the center of the city, many people came out of their homes and businesses to watch them. Riddick noticed that almost everyone was elderly; at least in their sixties or older. Then there was a huge gap in age to the next generation; the oldest one he saw could not have been older than twenty.

They had quickly picked up several 'escorts', a strange mixture of men old enough to be Riddick's father and men who still had long arms and legs that they had not yet grown into. The escorts, though they maintained their distance, all had guns drawn. Shirah walked humbly through the streets with her head lowered, hoping that if they did not present a threat they would be left unharmed; Riddick and Kyra also remained silent and apparently calm, but they were both tensed; walking side by side, alert and ready for a fight.

Finally they saw the capitol building looming up ahead of them. They walked up the stairs and entered a huge, round room. Set against the far wall were seven imposing chairs set up on a marble slab, raising the chairs off the ground so the seven people sitting would be slightly above eye level for those standing in front of them. The four men and three women who were now sitting in the chairs all wore judicial robes of matching blood red and they were all looking sharply at Shirah, Kyra, and Riddick. Shirah pulled open the neck of her outer robe, exposing her upper chest. She then placed her hand against the mark on her chest that had begun to glow softly in the room and bowed her head. They were in the presence of the Elders.


	23. The Council

Chapter 23: The Council

"Who are you, and who are these two with you?" Asked the oldest of the Elders sharply, standing up out of his center seat and looking at Shirah, noting her mark. He was tall and slender, and though age was beginning to bend his spine he still carried himself with arrogance and authority.

"I am Shirah Gohil, I was once high priestess; before the Necromonger attack." She answered, remaining still with her hand pressed against her mark.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd that had gathered behind them in the counsel chamber. The Elders whispered amongst themselves for a moment before the Elder who had questioned her spoke again. "Come. Let me see if what you say is true." Shirah dropped her hand to her side and walked to stand before the Elder. Firmly, he pressed his hand against her mark and closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes… yes, I remember you. Priestess Shirah." He said condescendingly and withdrew his hand. "I am Declan Feore. I once knew you well."

"Elder Declan! It is an honor to see you again." Shirah exclaimed, trying to break through his haughty attitude.

He nodded and replied coolly, "I have a feeling there is much that needs to be told and much that needs to be explained. But later. Now, tell us, who are they?" He turned toward Kyra and Riddick as did the Elders and the crowd.

"This is Kyra, and Richard Riddick. And you are right, there is much to tell." Shirah answered.

Over the course of the evening Shirah told her story; beginning with the death of her infant son. As she spoke the crowd grew until the counsel chamber became quite crowded except for the front quarter of the room which held only Shirah, Kyra, Riddick and the seven Elders. Some chairs had been brought out for the three of them and Shirah readily took hers, but Kyra and Riddick remained standing for some time until Kyra finally relaxed enough to sit. Riddick, however, remained on his feet for the duration of the evening, listening to Shirah tell her story.

Finally she finished and stood. "This is the most important thing I have to tell you tonight." She said stepping towards Riddick but maintaining eye contact with the Elders. "_This_ is the man I found. This is the man who killed the last Lord Marshall and wiped out one of the planets in the Underverse. He is the fulfillment of the prophecy for which so many of our sons died."

Again, whispers and chatter broke out throughout the room, sounding like a swarm of angry bees. Elder Declan's eyebrows shot up in sardonic disbelief as he looked between Shirah and the calm, confident man standing before him, goggles covering his eyes. "This is the man who killed the last Lord Marshal? This is the Furyan you marked?"

"Yes." Shirah answered.

Elder Declan walked up to Riddick and reached out his hand to touch Riddick's mark, like he had with Shirah. Kyra noticed that Riddick tensed very slightly, only she could see it, but she knew that he did not like people taking any liberties with him, touching him or getting into his space without his permission. Elder Declan had just walked right through Riddick's boundaries with complete contempt.

Riddick remained still, the appearance of perfect calm and self-assurance as the Elder laid his cold, pasty hand against his chest. Elder Declan closed his eyes like before, but almost instantly they popped open. A pale blue light was emanating from the mark on Riddick's chest and spreading between them. Riddick's body tensed; blood vessels standing in sharp relief against his flexed muscles.

Elder Declan gasped and jerked his hand away, stumbling backwards. Riddick relaxed as the contact was broken, and stood threateningly still; waiting to see what the Elder would do. Kyra stood abruptly and stepped to Riddick's side. "No," Elder Declan wheezed, "it is not possible!"

"Oh yes, it is." Shirah said stepping forward to Riddick and Kyra. "He is the last. The one and _only_ alpha Furyan. He is the only one who can lead the Furyans in our revenge; the vengeance against all Necromongers for the murder of our sons. And according to our law, you owe him your loyalty!"

The room exploded with noise; exclamations, questions, and not a few cheers echoed off the walls. The seven Elders just sat there for several moments before they started to talk amongst themselves again. Riddick did not notice any of this. As soon as Shirah had finished her last sentence he spun to look at her. "What?" he asked quietly, threateningly. Shirah caught the edge in his voice and suddenly realized she had never explained this to him. She hesitated. Riddick stepped forward, his face inches from hers. "Explain." he said, deadly calm.

Shirah took a step back. "Riddick, I'm sorry, I should have told you before. I didn't know how you would take it. I know I should have told you before now…I am sorry."

Riddick lowered his voice, his eyes still cold. "What the fuck do you mean by according to your law, he owes me his loyalty?" His voice was hard, warning Shirah not to mess around.

"Warriors are the most highly respected people on the Furyan world, and alpha Furyans lead us. We don't have 'royalty'; we are not _ruled_, but we are led by our greatest warriors. In this way, we protect our freedom." Shirah looked up into his goggles and said gently, "I should have told you before, I know; but since you are the last alpha Furyan, and the one spoken of in the prophecy, you are our leader…or by law _should_ be. You alone have the ability to lead us. _No one else_ does. Riddick, please; you must accept this…If you don't…Then the Furyans –_we_- will be lost."

Riddick stood there face to face with Shirah for several seconds, thoughts and emotions running rampant through his head. He felt a hand firmly grasp his arm, Kyra's. Turning he glanced at Kyra then walked past her, leaving the room. The crowd parted quickly as he strode through and disappeared into the night.

"Shit." Kyra said. She looked at Shirah for a moment; then turned at followed Riddick out of the room.

It took Kyra nearly three hours to track Riddick down, finally she found him crouching on the top of the cliff they had stopped at earlier that day. He was looking over the valley and the city which sparkled in the night. His goggles were pushed up on his forehead, his mercury eyes flashing in the reflection of the moon.

"Riddick?" Kyra asked as she walked up from behind him. He didn't move, but remained poised comfortably at the edge of the cliff. "Riddick, talk to me." She said softly.

Slowly Riddick stood, tossing aside the small stick he had been fiddling with. Turning around he met Kyra's dark blue eyes. For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other, communicating without words. "So what are you going to do?" Kyra asked, stepping forward, causing Riddick to look down to meet her eyes.

For the first time since Kyra had known him, Riddick showed something other than complete certainty and self-assurance; he shook his head.

That night as he lay watching Kyra sleep, curled up next to him in a bed given to them in the capitol building's guest quarters, he thought over his options. Part of him was screaming that he should just take Kyra and leave. He couldn't let himself get wrapped up in these people; he had spent his whole life avoiding getting tied down with people, getting involved. Kyra was the only person he had ever let close to him. He didn't want to get trapped and cornered; he had been on the run for too long to be comfortable with the idea of putting down roots. Any kind of roots.

The other part of him, however, was telling him that he was already involved. This planet was where he had been born: Where his family had lived. As they had walked through the streets that afternoon and in the council chamber he had sensed no fear or hatred from these people; they were cautious like he would have been, but they did not treat him with the same terror and loathing that he had become accustomed to receiving from the people around him. These people accepted him and Kyra and had, as of yet, not threatened either of them.

He looked down again at Kyra's sleeping face and his breath caught in his throat. _"Damn, she is so beautiful."_ He thought. She lay next to him, her face totally at peace, totally trusting in him to protect her; to not harm her. That kind of faith was all still so new to him that every time he saw that look on her face, it made his heart swell with inexpressible emotion. A small smile quirked up the corner of her mouth as she dreamed, causing a smile to spread across his.

Also…Maybe…This could be the place he could try to rejoin the human race and create a safe place for Kyra. If he agreed to lead these people, he could stay here with Kyra after he got the mercs off their necks…Here he could protect her.

Leaning down he kissed her lightly on the corner of her mouth. He lay back down and pulled her closer to him, fitting her body against his as he drifted off to sleep.


	24. The Choice

Chapter 24: The Choice

Riddick awoke early the next morning, and gently untangled his limbs from Kyra's, trying not to wake her. He grabbed his pants, pulled them on, and headed to the balcony of their room. He stood there leaning forward against the railing, enjoying the feeling of the cool morning breeze against his bare chest. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the world was bathed in a pale misty light. Birds were just beginning to sing and the whole world felt like it was just beginning to open its eyes and stretch.

After awhile he heard the door open and Kyra joined him, running a hand down the deep groove of his back over his spine. He turned to look at her and was struck again at the lithe strength and unconscious beauty she had. She was dressed in a pair of his pants again, but instead of her black shirt she wore a white wife beater, thin enough that he could just barely see the darkness of her nipples through the shirt. Her hair was loose and tumbled in a riot of curls and waves down her back and over her shoulders. _"How the hell did I get her?"_ he thought to himself as he looked at her standing next to him, enjoying the morning like he had been before she had come out. She looked happy to be off the ship and on planet again, to feel the wind and hear birds sing in the early morning light. He no longer noticed any of these things; however, his entire world had shrunk. Now it held nothing but Kyra and the way she looked standing there next to him.

He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, drawing her to him. Kyra looked up into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. She could never get used to that; that look that was coming from Riddick's silver eyes and the instant fire that it set off in her. She sighed as his lips crushed hers, shutting off everything but him and this moment. _"God, I love him!"_ She thought as he slid his hands under the back of her shirt, and slowly lowered them to the ground.

Later that afternoon Riddick, Kyra and Shirah stood again before the counsel. Elder Declan stood before them, dislike and distrust flowed off him like waves.

He didn't like this younger man…He was too self-assured. He didn't seem to fear or respect the Elders. If he became their leader, Elder Declan feared that all the power, all the influence that he had worked for over the past thirty years would be lost. He would be lowered, not to his previous and rather lowly position of foot soldier; but worse, to nothing but an old man who had spent his life too busy with his own ambitions to have a family. He would have nothing left if he was not an Elder.

The greatest thing that had ever happened to him had been the destruction of the Furyan civilization as they knew it by the Necromongers. When they had come to wipe out all the young men, all the alpha Furyans died trying to protect them, or at least they thought all had died. This loss had opened up huge opportunities for those people who were not alpha Furyans but wished to rise out of nothingness to rule the planet. People like Elder Declan.

He had risen quickly through the ranks; his father had been an alpha Furyan, so he was greatly respected by association, and Declan encouraged the people's belief that he was a great war hero. He was one of the very few warriors who had survived the war, and he had told great, if untrue, stories of his contributions to the war. He never let it be known that he had actually been one of the first people to flee to the hills when the Necromongers had landed, and anyone who knew the truth either kept very quiet or mysteriously disappeared. Everyone now believed him to be very powerful; and if not an alpha Furyan, than close. He basked in this glory and made the most of it, quickly becoming the foremost Elder and holding onto his position with an iron clad fist.

And now, here was a man who might take it all away. _"Well,"_ Elder Declan thought, _"I am not going to make it easy on him."_

Tension was running high in the room. The six sitting Elders looked nervous or worried, though there were a couple Elders who seemed more excited than upset at the possibility of a remaining alpha Furyan. Shirah was twisting her hands silently, and Kyra was standing tense; glancing continuously around the room as though expecting to be ambushed. Riddick alone appeared calm; his legs were slightly spread and his arms were crossed, every muscled appeared relaxed. He looked the Elders straight in their eyes from behind his goggles: His whole attitude was that of fearlessness and one who was completely unimpressed.

"So…You claim to be an alpha Furyan." Elder Declan said, choosing to ignore the fact that it had been already proven that Riddick was, indeed, an alpha Furyan; and Riddick had, in fact, never claimed anything of the sort. It had been Shirah who had made the assertion.

Riddick remained silent, waiting for the Elder to finish what it was he going to say.

Riddick's confident silence did nothing to better Elder Declan's mood. "You show up out of nowhere, making claims, and expecting us to let you lead _our_ people? When we know _nothing_ about you and for all we know could do _great harm_ to the people that we seven have _protected_ and _served_ for so long?" He said accusingly, gesturing to the other Elders, many of who were nodding and making sounds of agreement.

Riddick stood still but cocked his head slightly to the side as though pondering something. He knew what the Elder was doing; he was playing to the crowd, egging on an invisible audience; attempting to bluster his way into making the other Elders and anyone who was listening or would hear about these proceedings later believe that he was sincerely looking out for their best interests. "Did I make any claims to your people?" He said softly, questioningly, looking Elder Declan right in the eye. He saw the other Elders glancing amongst themselves uncomfortably.

"Now, Elder, who said I wanted to lead your people?" He asked as though speaking to a young child; his voice remained soft, rumbling deep his chest.

Elder Declan stood still, his mouth opening and closing slightly as he tried to think of an answer. "You're right. You don't know me, and I doubt you ever will." Riddick said coldly, threateningly. He turned to Kyra and together they left the capitol building calmly, leaving complete disbelief and turmoil behind them.

As they left the building and headed back to their room Kyra looked up at Riddick and asked, "Now what?"

He heard something in her tone that made him stop and look down at her.

She wanted to stay.

He could hear it in her voice. She was asking because, though she would follow him where ever he went, she wanted to stay. She enjoyed being on planet and not having mercs breathing down their necks, and she wanted to learn about her roots; where her father had come from.

He stood there for a moment, the battle in his head from the night before starting anew. "Let's walk." He said turning back towards the city streets. He needed the time to think.

They walked through the streets, hand in hand. The loose intertwining of their fingers speaking volumes about their relationship, no strings attached because no strings were needed: They belonged to each other. The two of them turned many heads as they walked by; both because they were newcomers and the rumors were flying endlessly about them around the city, but also they were very noticeable. They were both…_different_ somehow… powerful. They had a 'don't fuck with me, and I won't fuck with you' attitude which made everyone stay well out of their way as they passed.

As they walked, they left the city center and headed for the southern outskirts and back streets of the town. The city became darker and dirtier the farther out they went, the holes in the street were left unfilled and many of the walls were still cracked. Children played with sticks and rocks outside of small houses in dirty, ragged clothing. Old men and women of all ages walked by, avoiding eye contact, and their backs bent from endless hard work and a hopeless life.

Riddick and Kyra looked around in surprise at the state of the people and the buildings which had obviously once been beautiful and well tended. They had been led to believe by the Elders and that everything was fine on Furya and that in this city the people were prospering and happy. From the looks of it, the truth was far from it.

Ahead of them in a wide intersection, people had set up grungy boxes and tables, selling half rotten produce and mended clothing. Anger was building slowly in both Riddick and Kyra. _"Shit__, 'protected and served' my ass, these people are starving."_ Kyra thought, and glanced up at Riddick, but his face was unreadable.

"Riddick…" Kyra said suddenly, looking at a group of men jogging down a side street coming towards them. They looked like the same group of men who had escorted the three of them to the capitol building when they first came into town. They were heading toward the group of ragged civilians that were bartering in the intersection.

Riddick pulled Kyra back behind him and backed up against a crumbling wall, his arm holding back against it as well. They watched as the men began shouting at the civilians who quickly scattered down the other three streets, one of which was the street Riddick and Kyra were on, trying to carry as much of the produce as they could with them. The men quickly began scrambling about, trying to get a hold of any of the fleeing men, women, and children they could. Several drew wicked looking whips from their belts and began cracking them at people, attempting to round them up like livestock into a group. "What the fuck, Riddick!?" Kyra exclaimed as she watched people run past them, fear etched on their faces.

They watched as the chaos died down when most of the people escaped and disappeared from sight, and the group of men closed in on the few that they had caught. There appeared to be no more than four, surrounded by ten or eleven men; all brandishing whips. The men were yelling obscenities and cracking their whips at the four people they had caught, several began to laugh when a woman got hit with a stray lash of the whip and screamed.

"Fuck them!" Kyra spat, anger and hatred overflowing as she struggled to get free of Riddick's restraining arm. "Riddick, damn it, let me go! Look at what they are doing!"

Glancing back at her, Riddick understood how she felt; the cruelty that these men were displaying reminded him of many of the assholes he had met, and he was sure that Kyra felt the same way. But he couldn't let her go. He didn't want her getting caught up in this mess and hurt.

Suddenly through the yells Kyra and Riddick heard the sound of a small child crying. Both of their eyes flew back to the scene before them. The group of captives had shifted and they could now see a little girl in the center of the group huddled down by their feet; her arms were hugging her knees to her chest as she was jostled and pushed by the adults all around her. "Shit." Kyra breathed. Every ounce of her being wished she could run over there and help that poor little girl. She felt Riddick's arm go rock hard against her when he saw the girl as well, and as they continued to watch she felt it beginning to vibrate with suppressed tension.

The guards also had spotted the little girl and with a shout one of them pushed into the group, grabbed the girl and jerked her up roughly, hardly letting her feet touch the ground as he yanked her out of the group. He laughed as the little girl began screaming, her father was screaming as well; straining against the men trying to reach her but they brutally beat him back.

As the man toyed with her, laughing, the little girl struggled with all her strength. Then, with a speed that shocked all those around, the little girl lashed out and kicked the man who was holding her right in the groin. He swore violently and let her go as he grabbed at himself and tried to breathe. The rest of the men were no longer laughing, one broke off and grabbed the girl viciously by her hair, shaking her and holding her in place before she could escape.

The injured man regained control of his limbs and stepped forward lifting his whip. He looked down at the little girl with a murderous expression on his face.

Suddenly, it was gone.

His whole head had seemingly vanished, and his body crumpled heavily to the ground, landing on top of the missing head.

As one all eyes looked back up from the decapitated body and saw a tall man dressed all in black. Goggles were covering his eyes and a blue mark was glowing softly on his wide chest. Long, curved knives were held loosely, carelessly in both hands; clean, with no trace of blood on them from being passed so quickly through the man's neck.

Instantly, the other men drew their weapons preparing to fight.


	25. I Am Here

Chapter 25: I am Here

There was a slight pause; the calm before the storm.

Riddick and the group of men sized each other up. Kyra stepped around Riddick, standing just to his left holding her own set of knives: Together they waited.

One of the men flipped the safety off on his gun, breaking the silence and making the group jump and shift uneasily. In that slight waver of concentration Riddick struck, Kyra following just behind his shoulder. They moved as a team smoothly, effortlessly through the inexperienced captors; barely a sound had a chance to be uttered before the men were cut down. Riddick came to the last man and with a final thrust and slash the man fell. His eyes met Riddick's blank goggles for a moment as he crumpled; his eyes wide and mouth opened in a silent scream.

Riddick looked over to Kyra as the man's eyes turned glassy, making sure she was alright. Her hair was wild around her face and her chest was heaving from the fight. She met his gaze and nodded slightly, letting him know she was okay. They turned to the small group of citizens they had rescued; all of whom were staring at them in shock, huddled together; all except for the father, who had crawled over to his daughter and was now kneeling down in the street holding onto his sobbing little girl as though he would never let her go. He looked up at Riddick and Kyra and with tears in his eyes and a smile on his lips he whispered, "Thank you."

The moment of relief was destroyed, suddenly, by the sound of many pounding feet coming from all directions. Raising his head, Riddick slowly looked around him; his grasp tightening on his knives. Soldiers were coming at them from all four sides: Thirty or forty at least. As they came to the intersection they stopped, surrounding the six standing in the center; cutting off all routes of escape.

Quickly Riddick glanced around and spotted a large arched doorway. Looking back at the ragged little group he pointed towards the door way, "MOVE!" he yelled.

The men charged into the intersection.

Riddick sprinted towards the group of peasants, wrapped his arms around the two elderly women and ran towards the arched doorway, pushing them along in front of him. As he shoved the two women into the doorway, he reached out and grabbed the little girl from her father who had followed Riddick with her in his arms, and handed her to one of the women.

Riddick, Kyra, and the two ragged peasant men, the youngest of whom seemed to be in his late fifties, turned their backs on the door way, creating a wall. Riddick and Kyra tossed each of the men a knife and they all stood tensed as the mob ran toward them, weapons drawn.

As the men drew nearer Riddick said softly to Kyra, his eyes remaining on the charging men, "Let's play." and with that Riddick dove into them; slashing the first one down.

Kyra and the two men joined him and soon the air was full of the sounds of battle and the screams of the wounded and dying. Time seemed to drag on as they fought, men falling, dying; their curses and gasps filling the air. The old man fighting with Riddick on his left fell, cut down by two young soldiers hardly out of their teens.

Riddick fought on. He had cut a huge swath through the mob and had reached a slight lull. As he looked around he saw that Kyra had stopped all forward progression. A large group of men had almost surrounded her, believing her to be the weakest link in the group. Many had died for that lack of judgment already, but they were being replaced over and over again; Riddick could see by Kyra's movements that she was beginning to fatigue. Quickly he turned and slashed his way to her side. Together they broke through, fighting side by side; a perfect, deadly team.

Finally the tides turned; men were scattered over the ground, blood pooled in the many potholes and coated the road, making it slick. Men began to turn and run, trying to get away from the apparently indestructible pair that had almost single handedly wiped out well over ten times their number. The few that didn't run died quickly and joined their brothers on the ground. Kyra slashed the throat of one more man and the three of them turned, looking for their next victim.

No one was left; there were only a few of the men still visible, running away down the street.

With impossible swiftness Riddick grabbed one of the whips off the be-headed man's belt and flicked it out, catching one of the fleeing men around the neck and jerking him back violently. The soldier came to an instant stop and flew several feet backward, clawing at the whip biting into his neck. Riddick walked up to the choking man and yanked him to his feet by the front of his shirt, spun him around and clamped him against his chest in one smooth movement. With a tiny flick of his wrist, Riddick cut the whip from around the man's neck, allowing him to gasp for breath.

Laying his blade against the man's throat Riddick asked, "Do you want to live?" The man quickly contemplated his chances of escape without answering, and finding them not in his favor, he nodded vigorously.

"Then you tell me who you work for." Riddick said softly, coldly.

The young man hesitated and glanced around quickly as though looking for help. "Tell me. Now." Riddick stated and pressed the knife against the skin so that a tiny trickle of blood ran down the man's neck.

"El…Elder Declan." The man answered, lowering his eyes and freezing all movement.

"Why all this?" Riddick demanded, glancing around the intersection at the smashed food and broken crates; looking at the starved peasants.

"They…They aren't supposed to buy and sell…They are sup - supposed to eat only their rations. The rest is supposed to go to the treasury! They are stealing from the Elders when they keep some to t-trade." He stuttered nervously.

"So, they're just supposed to starve and die quietly, right?" Kyra said walking up and stopping face to face with the man. "Fuck you." She said and kicked the side of his knee. A sickening crack split the air and the man gave out a pitiful scream as his knee shattered.

Riddick looked over the man's head at Kyra; he saw the same consuming anger and hatred in her eyes as he had seen on Crematoria when she had charged the hatch from the underground tunnels, shooting away, risking her life just to get one more shot off.

He dropped the man where he stood with a last look at the little girl and her father, making sure they were alright and seeing them locked safely in each other's arms, he turned and headed back to the capitol building with a seething Kyra right beside him.

Elder Declan was pacing his chambers; the counsel with Riddick had _not_ gone the way he had planned. The man had showed _no_ respect and had thrown his words back into his face! _"How dare he?! Who does he think he is, coming here and speaking to me, ME, that way!"_ he thought as he did an about face and headed back across the room. _"At least he didn't said he wanted the leadership of Furya…That is something at least…But then again, he didn't say he __**didn't**__ want it either…And was that a threat he had tossed at me on his way out? What did he mean I will never know him?"_ Jealousy and fear were beginning to take their toll on the Elder, making him angry. _"I hope he, the girl, and his priestess just fly away and never come back…We don't need them here!"_

A loud _gong_ sounded from the council chamber, calling the seven Elders to the council at once. _"Now what?"_ Elder Declan thought as he stalked out of his room.

He met several of the others in the hallway and they entered the chamber together. They stopped at once, taking in the sight before them: Riddick and Kyra were standing in the center of the room, blood was smeared across their chests and arms; sweat had made streaks through the dirt and grime on their faces, and a matching blue mark burned clearly on their upper chests for all to see. Accusation, anger, disgust were written clearly on both of their faces, and worse; both were holding deadly looking knives in their hands.

As they all stood there, Shirah ran into the chamber followed by the many townsfolk who had heard that something was happening in the council chamber and had come to see what was going on.

Elder Declan quickly assessed the situation and decided that the best action would be to be forceful and direct… _"Make everyone see these people for who they are…Imposters!"_ he thought.

"What have you done!?" he shouted striding forward; the other Elders followed him a little more hesitantly and took their seats, they thought it was rather rash to approach an alpha Furyan in such a manner, so they stayed back.

"We spoke to one of your men, Elder." Riddick said softly, calmly, mockingly. A perfect offset to Elder Declan's bluster.

"My men? You spoke to one of my men?" Declan asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt. Obviously looking them up and down, pointing out the blatant signs of violence, he asked, "What did you do to him?"

"We saw them crashing a little party in the outskirts. They didn't play nice." Riddick drawled. "We stepped in when it got too ugly. We asked one of the men what they were doing and you know what he said, Declan?" Riddick took a step closer.

"He said _you_ sent them."

No sooner had Riddick said these words than there was a disturbance at the door. Several men stumbled in; most of them wounded, tattered, broken and covered in blood. "Make way! Make way!" They yelled, shoving people roughly out of their way.

They stopped dead, however, when they saw who was standing in the middle of the floor. "Elder Declan! It was _them_! They attacked us out of nowhere when we were breaking up an illegal trade gathering!" One of the men yelled.

Elder Declan turned at looked at Riddick, "Is this true? Is this what you have been going on about? How DARE you attack my men! They are working under MY orders. They were breaking up that trade gathering for the good of all the people of Furya. You have NO RIGHT to be here, and you have NO RIGHT to interfere! Seize them!" He yelled to the guards along the walls; spit flying from his mouth in his rage.

In the blink of an eye, Riddick had a knife to Elder Declan's throat. "Hold!" He yelled at the guards who had run forward towards them. Everyone froze, not a sound was heard as all breathing stopped.

"For the 'good of the people'?" Riddick asked, his voice rang out as cold as ice. "Is it for the 'good of the people' that they are starving? Is it for the 'good of the people' that they are attacked when they are trying to get food to eat?" He stepped forward even farther so that their faces were inches apart. "Is it for the 'good of the people' that your men attack little children? FUCK YOU!" He roared and threw the Elder back against his towering seat.

"You will _no longer _starve these people for your own gain. You _will not_ take away their freedom. These people _will_ be able to rebuild what was taken away from them. We _will_ settle our past, so there _will be_ a future. You no longer have power over the people, old man. _I _am here.


	26. Destiny

Chapter 26: Destiny

The moment Riddick said those words, he felt a peace and an indescribable sense of fulfillment and power rise within himself. He felt as though he had finally come home; as though his whole life had led him up to this point; that everyone in his life had helped him come to this place at this time…To fulfill his destiny.

Until he had met Jack – Kyra - Riddick had always lived for himself. Trying to survive in the dangerous and deadly place the Universe had become, and he had found at a very young age he had a talent for surviving; for escaping when no one else could. He had learned that you had to kill or be killed. He found he had a talent for that at a young age as well. He always made sure that no matter what else happened, _he_ would make it out. He would live, and he would fight to be free.

Then he had met Jack. A skinny, awkward twelve year old kid who somehow drew him to her, made him want to take care of her. He found that he couldn't just let her die when the alien had attacked her on T2, and for the first time in his life, he had risked his life for someone else and he saved her. He had then tried to leave her and take off on his own, and though it had been hard and he almost changed his mind as he headed for the ship alone, he almost succeeded until Carolyn had come back and made him realize that maybe, just maybe, there were some people worth trying for. Worth _dying_ for. He again risked his life, his safety, his dream of finally being _free_ and he went back and helped Carolyn save Imam and Jack. He had almost died in the process and had to watch as the true hero, Carolyn, died in the grasp of one of the creatures. Seeing her die for _him_, someone who had almost left her and other two to die alone on that planet, had changed something in him. Something he could not define, and though he didn't realize it, at that moment he had begun a long, slow journey down the path to rejoin the human race. One young girl, and one faithful holy man, would play huge rolls in helping him down that path.

Now, after all this time, all the steps he had taken, here he stood. Ready and able; with the one person who meant more to him than life itself, the one who had led him out of the pointless life of running, hiding and killing, with _Kyra_ by his side; to take on the Elders and anyone else he would have to; to save a people that he had never even known existed until recently. _His_ people; his and Kyra's. He was ready to no longer fight only for himself. He was ready to no longer sacrifice only for the girl he loved and needed. He was ready to fight for a cause. To fight for freedom, for life, for vengeance; for himself, for Kyra, and for all Furya.

Shirah shoulders slumped in relief when she heard his words. She watched as people glanced around at each other, unsure of what had just transpired. Then quickly they realized what Riddick's statement had meant: Murmurs turned to talking, and talking quickly turned to cheers. Then one at a time; men, women, children all placed their hand against their chest, over their marks, and bowed their heads. The room grew quiet. A new feeling filled the air, a feeling that had been absent on Furya for nearly thirty years: Hope. Maybe he was right, maybe…finally… they could settle their past. Maybe then they could begin to have a future.

Kyra stood silently, watching as the man she loved, the man she had worshiped as a child, and the one man she respected, change. It happened before her very eyes. She saw the years of scraping a living in the penal system fall away from his broad shoulders. She saw his identity as a convict, a murderer fly away in an invisible breeze. She saw him become the man that _she_ had always seen; a fighter for right and justice, a protector of those who were weak, a warrior for life and freedom.

In the several years she had spent in Crematoria, she had once wondered why she had been so drawn to Riddick when she was a young girl; what had it been about him, a hardened killer, which made him irresistible to her, a lonely kid? At the time she didn't have an answer to that question, but now it struck her: The reason why he, a convict and a murderer, had drawn her, and why all children seemed to be drawn to him: It was because they were not fooled by his titles, by the men he had killed. They could see the real man, the man who now stood before her; pledging, in his own way, to protect and fight for an entire race.

Pride and love surged through her and, without realizing what she was doing, she walked up to Riddick and stood next to him. Knowing and appreciating that she was the only one he would allow to walk up behind him and stand so close; and standing there, she waited.

Riddick felt Kyra's presence as she moved up behind him and came to a stop at his side. Without ever taking his goggled eyes or his blade off Elder Declan, and maintaining his unceasing awareness of the room, he stepped back away from the Elder. With his free hand he reached up and removed his goggles in the fading light of the Council Chamber and, looking straight into Declan's faded brown eyes, he said softly, "Your power is gone, old man. Leave. While you still can."

With intense hate, humiliation, and fear written all over his face, Declan sent one last look at the guards that he had once commanded, pleading for their help. When he saw that none would come to his aid, he turned and with as much dignity as he could muster in his bent frame, he stalked out of the room; a beaten old man.

Finally Riddick turned towards Kyra, and an odd look fell over his face, as though a memory had flashed before his eyes. Then, without hesitation, he reached down and lifted Kyra's right hand and placed it against his chest, over his mark, and holding it in place with his left hand he reached his right hand out and placed it over the mark he had given to her. The world seemed to shrink until it contained only the two of them, and only the look from the other's eyes. Then, as one, they leaned forward and kissed; gently, lightly and as they did so, the room exploded with cheers.

Shirah walked forward hesitantly and stood before the kissing couple. She turned to face the crowd and slowly announced, "You have all just witnessed a great event. The tyrannical rule of the Elders is over. The old ways have come back to life before our very eyes, and we now have not only one leader but two. With this kiss, as in times before, it is sealed. The Riddick, the one last alpha Furyan, has chosen to share his leadership with Kyra. It is now our duty, our privilege, to follow them, advise them, support them as we seek to settle our past to find our future." She turned back to Riddick and Kyra and with great dignity, she place her right hand over her mark and slightly bowed her head. The room hushed once again as all followed suit, honoring the new leaders of Furya.


	27. Ceremony of the Mark

Chapter 27: Ceremony of The Mark

Weeks passed by in a blur of activity: The entire Furyan society was reverting back to its roots. The priesthood was gathering once more under the High Priestess Shirah, and the remaining Elders were finally beginning to work _for_ the people as their governing body. Though they were allowed to remain in government, they were under the close and constant watch of the citizens of Furya who refused to let the Elders begin again the tyrannical reign that the Riddick had ended. The planet was once again in the hands of the people.

Riddick spent much of his time with Shirah, learning about Furyan history, the way the government was run by the people and how the priesthood served the people. He spent all of his free time with Kyra, rebuilding the army: Men and women from all across the planet had gathered at the capitol city volunteering once more to fight. All the volunteers were busy for the time being, repairing and rebuilding the training facility for themselves and the warriors yet to come. Many old men and women came forward offering to train the new, younger generation of warriors. Both Riddick and Kyra felt more at ease with the warriors and so they spent much of their time with them, helping with the rebuilding or watching as the teachers gave pointers to the inexperienced fighters in their unprompted sparring matches.

Farmers were busy replanting the fields some of the Elders und Declan had long ago blocked off from them and used as their own personal farms. Soon food would not be a problem for anyone and everyone would be able to eat their own produce as well as buy and sell it in the newly rebuilt marketplace.

Slowly, but steadily, Furya was becoming whole again.

One of the most important things that still needed to be done was the empowering of the priesthood. Thirty years ago the priesthood had fallen apart after their High Priestess, Shirah, had left the planet with the Necromongers and afterwards the Elders made sure that they had squashed all remaining vestiges of it, believing it to be a threat to their new order.

As Shirah had told Riddick, the High Priest or Priestess held within their grasp the heart, the power, of the Furyan world. This energy glowed on the chest of Furyan adults, when it was needed, as their mark. It was a reminder of who they were, who they belonged to and offered a way to recognize each other in battle. The priesthood was the protector of that energy. Now that the High Priestess was back, Furya would once again be in possession of its own power; it would once again be in control of its own destiny.

The evening fell soft and warm upon the city. A sense of excitement filled the air. Men, women, and children crowded around the temple; filling the courtyard and overflowing into the streets. The Ceremony of the Mark was about to take place.

Shirah walked forward out of the temple to the marble pillar standing tall in front of the wide, sweeping stairs. She looked out over the thousands of faces raised towards her. She waited, standing regally in her blood red robes. Finally, as the night began to fall and darkness covered the people, the second moon rose over the horizon. She looked towards the East and there a large, yellow moon hung heavily over the horizon, making its slow descent. Towards the West she saw a sharp, white crescent moon that was just beginning its dance through the sky. It was time.

She began chanting softly, both hands resting against her chest, tenderly lying upon her mark. Silence fell on the crowd; even the wild animals in the forest beyond the city walls seemed to have hushed in honor of the moment.

Shirah's chanting grew louder, creating a primal rhythm. The moon sunk lower on the Eastern horizon; slowly it dipped behind the mountains; now it was only a thin yellow slice. Then it fell below the horizon.

As soon as the moon dipped out of sight, Shirah stepped forward and placed her hands on the smooth, white pillar. A blue light traced over her body like electricity, emanating from her mark. It traveled down her arms and through her hands into the pillar. The crowd watched as the light arched and danced over its surface.

Suddenly it seemed to explode upward! With the sound of a rushing wind, the lights danced straight up into the sky. Fields of energy pulsed from Shirah and the pillar and slowly arched out from the pillar of light, creating a web of bright blue energy that spread and rippled along the atmospheric layers, covering the planet in its embrace.

After several minutes the web brightened and swirled as it completed its casing over the planet, masking the stars from sight. The pillar of light gently disappeared and the canopy slowly faded, leaving only the marble pillar glowing with energy.

Shirah stepped back, exhausted, and looked back over the people. Their marks were glowing, lightly illuminating their faces. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "As the old moon has disappeared over the horizon, a new moon has risen. So let the past thirty years fall away and be replaced with the new. We are once again a strong people with strong leaders, and we are united under the mark. Together we will rebuild. Together we will fight. Together we will be strong. Together we are Furya."

The crowd roared its approval, and music erupted from all around as a celebration began that would last well into the night.

Riddick and Kyra stood out of sight, just inside the temple walls. Neither of them spoke. Words were unnecessary. They weren't the type to be stirred by a speech. They weren't the kind of people to be a part of a crowd. Too much had happened to them throughout their lives to be able to join in easily with other people. Trust didn't grow quickly for either of them. Though they had accepted leading these people, and though they had pledged to fight for them, they hadn't given up their independence. They held onto that as hard as they held onto each other.

Together they stood alone, silent, but content, watching as their people celebrated.


	28. Anger

Chapter 28: Anger

The warrior's training facility was finally up and running. There was still some repairs left to be done, but daily training sessions were taking place. Riddick was still too busy to spend much time at the facility, although he came by whenever he could get a chance. Kyra, on the other hand, spent almost all her time there; watching the trainees practice and learn with incredible speed. The volunteer instructors were very knowledgeable and patient teachers who had dedicated themselves fully to their task. Children from the age of ten to adults in their early twenties worked from sun up to sun down, learning the Furyan art of battle.

The Ceremony of the Mark had taken place weeks before and since then Riddick and Kyra had seen each other only in passing; Riddick usually came to their room well after Kyra had fallen asleep and would leave before she awoke. Their conversations were getting shorter and shorter as they also became sharper, and there would be several days when Kyra didn't even get a chance to see Riddick. She resented that she wasn't his focus like she had been for the last several months, and she resented the fact that she wasn't welcome at his side at all times like before, even while she resented feeling like his little tag along. Familiar feelings –anger, rejection - were beginning to build inside of her once more as another day went by and she saw nothing of Riddick.

She spent her day, once again, watching the warriors' training. She often itched to join them but Shirah had advised both Kyra and Riddick that it would be unwise to jeopardize their position in such a way. It would not be fitting for a leader to train with soldiers, she had said; so Kyra always remained on the sidelines; alone.

This afternoon she was watching a sparring match between two young women who were slightly older than she was. One of the women was named Louna and the other Gelina and they seemed to be an even match as they fought together with their long sparring rods. They had been battling in the dusty arena for nearly fifteen minutes trying to get through the other's defenses to score a strike. Kyra had seen both Gelina and Louna fight before and though she was beginning to respect Gelina as a talented warrior, she had, in turn, come to despise Louna. Louna mocked her opponents relentlessly and, though she almost always had the upper hand in a battle, she would pull little tricks that were against the sparring rules; at one time sending a younger girl to the medical ward. She also continuously treated all her fellow trainees with the utmost distain and arrogance.

Now, as Louna and Gelina were locked in combat, Kyra watched as Louna mocked her opponent, touching upon everything from her family to her appearance. Gelina ignored her taunts and continued to fight well and, finally, it appeared that Gelina would win a strike as she suddenly shifted her weight forward against her sparring rod and shoved Louna to the ground. Louna looked shocked for a moment as her breath was shoved out of her body and then, in an instant, her expression changed into a look of utmost hate and contempt. With a yell she swung upward with her rod and caught Gelina square in the side of the neck. There was a swift response from those all around; the trainers rushed into the arena yelling as Gelina staggered and fell onto her knees, clutched the huge, raised welt that was appearing on the sensitive skin of her neck.

Louna rose to her feet with supreme indifference and shook out her long golden hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck as she walked away, ignoring the shouts and scoldings coming from the trainers regarding her illegal and dangerous hit. As she left the arena she walked by Kyra and for a moment their eyes met. Louna slowed her steps slightly as she stalked by; her hazel eyes traveling up and down Kyra's much smaller form from her own towering height. Her eyes rose once again to Kyra's face as her mouth quirked into a mocking smile and her eyebrows rose; a quiet, derisive chuckle reached Kyra's ears as Louna brushed past her and turned down a corridor. _"Bitch!"_ Kyra thought disgustedly before she turned back towards the activity Louna had left in her wake; watching as the trainers helped Gelina out of the arena.

That night Kyra lay on the soft bed she shared with Riddick; listening to the animals hunting and rustling in the night. She was determined that Riddick would not come and go without her notice again this evening. Hours dragged by as she waited and her eyes were drawn continuously out the window as she watched the moons travel their paths across the sky. The first set… the second was halfway across the sky… It neared the horizon…Finally as it, too, was about to set the door opened and Riddick walked into the room. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes as the light hit him; and, without a word, he sat on a chair by the door and began to untie his boots.

"Hi." Kyra said after a moment, wanting to break the silence.

Riddick merely looked up at her; eyebrows raised, then returned to removing his boots.

"Asshole." She spat and stood; heading into the bathroom feeling waves of rejection washing over her. So he couldn't even carry on a conversation with her now, huh?

Riddick watched as she stormed out of the room. She was wearing Furyan style dark blue robes that flowed smoothly over her figure. Her hair was hanging loose over her shoulders and down her back in a soft riot of curls. Striking an off chord with her soft clothing and hair, her back was rigid and her shoulders looked tense as she stalked into the bathroom. She was pissed at him, and she looked beautiful. He heard the shower turn on after several seconds and, with a slight shrug to himself, and a small smirk, he stood and followed her into the bathroom.

A couple hours later they lay together; tangled up in their sheets and each other - sleeping soundly.

The sun was shining through the window sending long golden beams of light across the room; birds were singing outside and a soft breeze flitted across Kyra's face from the open balcony door. A smile tugged at her lips as she stretched and opened her eyes, turning toward Riddick.

He was gone. Again. _"Shit."_ She thought as her eyes quickly, fruitlessly, scanned the room looking for him.

She lay back against the pillows, tears slowly filled her eyes. She thought this morning might be different after last night. He had been so attentive and loving…Now he was gone. AGAIN!

Anger rushed through her and she quickly brushed away all signs of tears. She wasn't going to cry for him. Not anymore. She had cried enough when he had left her with Imam all those years ago and she had cried too much for him since. She stood and pulled on her loose fitting dark pants and a snug wife beater, concealed her shivs, and stormed out of the room into the bright morning; heading, once more, to the training facilities to watch the fights.


	29. My Turn

Chapter 29: My Turn

Kyra stood in her preferred spot right outside the arena as the sun rose overhead watching as two young warriors fought. She guessed their ages to be no more than ten or eleven and she was greatly enjoying watching them learn. Even at their young ages they fought well and with honor. She smiled.

"Wish you could fight as well as those kids?" a mocking voice said over her right shoulder. Kyra stiffened and turned, coming face to face with none other then Louna.

Though her blood was already beginning to boil, Kyra played it cool; copying one of Riddick's moves and simply raising her eyebrows at Louna and turning her back on her to watch the children practice.

"Oh, wait, that's right…, The Riddick taught you how to fight already, didn't he?" Louna said patronizingly. "Well, with a man like that teaching you, I'll bet you were an avid student. I wonder what else he taught you." She added with a slight laugh.

Kyra continued to stare into the arena, but she didn't see the children finish and leave for a break. Or the trainers leave to head for lunch. She had caught all of Louna's double entendre and blood rushed to her face as her heart began to pound.

Louna smirked, "Of course, after hearing your story and the way you were treated as a kid, there wasn't much more he could teach you…Was there?"

Without any warning, Kyra's shiv was pressed against Louna's throat. "You think you know me, Bitch? You don't know anything about me." Kyra stated, her voice wobbly from anger.

Louna stood frozen in place for several moments, then swiftly, and with great skill, she spun and ducked away from Kyra's knife and drew one of her own. She crouched down into a fighting stance and said, with malice dripping off of every word, "Yeah I know you. You're the Riddick's little bitch. You follow him around, thinking you're all worthy simply because you're with him. But you're not with him very much anymore are you?

"You're what? Eighteen, nineteen? He's too busy with 'grown up stuff' to care about you anymore. You're nothing but a brainless, talent-less child.

"Now, I wonder what the Riddick would do if he had a real woman by his side…Maybe…Someone like me? Do you think he would like that?"

With that taunt, Louna jumped the low wall into the training area and positioning herself in the middle of the arena. She laughed, "Yeah, I know you…Do you think you could prove me wrong?"

In one fluid movement Kyra cleared the wall and landed gracefully on her feet. She pulled her second shiv out of its hiding place and charged toward Louna.

They fought for several seconds; slashing and blocking, testing each others' strengths; then they backed off and circled, their eyes locked. Louna was much taller and heavier than Kyra, honed muscles stood out in the mid-day sun.

They darted in again and tangled fiercely. Kyra was smaller than Louna and much faster; what Louna had in bulk, Kyra made up for in her lithe, graceful strength.

Kyra made a strike.

It connected with Louna's upper thigh and instantly Louna let out a yell and fell to one knee as blood began to flow down her leg into the dust. Kyra stepped forward and Louna slashed out, forcing Kyra to jump backward; barely avoiding the knife that flew by only centimeters from her belly. The slash had made Louna off balance, however, and Kyra saw her chance. As soon as Louna's attention flickered and she struggled to regain her balance, Kyra lashed out and kicked the larger girl in the side of the neck; not with enough force to snap it, but just enough to throw her to the ground.

With one fluid movement, Kyra kicked away Louna's dropped knife and knelt over her, one knee planted firmly against Louna's chest. She drew her knife back above Louna's face and, with a rush of triumph, let it fall.

A vise-like grip suddenly caught her wrist; the shiv inches from Louna's face. "No." said a low, gravelly voice.

Kyra looked up into Riddick unreadable face then glanced back down into Louna's terrified one. Then, with an exhalation of breath, she grit her teeth together and yanked her hand away from Riddick's and stood. Glaring down at Louna she spat. "Fuck you, Bitch." She said, her voice cold as ice. Then she looked up into Riddick's blank goggles. "And fuck you." She said and turned to walk away.

As she turned she saw Shirah standing wide-eyed and pale just outside the arena, her graying hair pulled back and her bright red robes clean and pristine in contrast with the dusty arena.

Shirah was shocked at the change that had come over Kyra. It had been several weeks since she had last seen her and with surprise she found that Kyra was no longer the happy, laughing, bright young woman that she had come to know on the Necromonger warship. Kyra had reverted back into the hardened, angry, hurt girl that they had first taken off that planet in the Underverse. Confusion and worry fell across Shirah's face. She cared about Kyra like she would care about her own daughter.

Their eyes met and with one look from Shirah, Kyra felt suddenly ashamed. She felt like some kind of monster and that just pissed her off again. Shivs still in hand she spun back toward Riddick. "Fuck you Riddick. I should have known this would happen. I should have known that you would end up wanting nothing to do with me; you're too busy saving the fucking world and who knows what the hell else. The only thing is that this time, you are still around. I have put up with your shit for way too long. This time I won't follow you. You're always the first to leave, so this time, you get to watch me." With that she turned and strode past Shirah and headed out into the city.

Riddick stood still for several moments, reeling from Kyra's verbal lashing. He was angry and hurt by what she had said. Did she really think that about him? Didn't she realize that he was doing this all for her? _ "Shit." _He thought and without a glance at either Louna or Shirah, he too walked out of the arena into the city.

As Kyra walked thoughts were flying through her head. Her breathing was still heavy and she hardly noticed where she was going; she was just walking aimlessly down street after street. She was still livid but she wasn't going to leave Furya. It was the only place that she felt safe and it kept her away from Mercs. Instead, maybe she could live with Shirah…But even as it occurred to her, something about the thought of leaving Riddick felt wrong. She hated running; it was against everything inside of her. So, for now, she walked… and walked; hoping to clear her mind and come to a peace inside herself.

Kyra was so lost in thought that she didn't notice a small group of men following her, or that they were slowly closing in on her from all sides; she only felt hands grasp at her for an instant, a momentary struggle, and a sharp pain across the back of her head, then darkness.

There were flashes of time when she would awaken slightly and be aware of what was happening around her before falling back into the darkness: People talking quietly all around as they carried her down a dark alley; excited voices and a loud clanging, metallic sound; a piercing headache.

Finally, as though someone was slowly turning up the lights, the world came back into focus. She was strapped against something cold and there was a metallic bit in her mouth. Looking around she realized that she was in a ship strapped into a high security cryo chamber. Her heart stopped. Stars were flashing outside the portholes. _"No! Oh God, NO!"_ She thought, panicking. She began to struggle against her restraints even as she knew it would do no good. Her head was beginning to pound. A man walked up to her, reached out and slammed the cryo door closed; he flipped a switch and the world faded once more.


	30. Gone

Chapter 30: Gone

Riddick walked the streets for several hours to clear his thoughts and to look for Kyra. He hadn't seen any sign of her, and since it was beginning to get late he turned back and headed towards the capitol building hoping against hope that Kyra would be there.

When he entered their room he instantly realized she wasn't there; the room was dark and silent. A nagging feeling began to creep up his spine: She wasn't here, but… all her stuff _was_. The room was all exactly how he had left it this morning.

Something was wrong.

Quickly he checked all the rooms looking for something, anything that might explain his instinct. Nothing. He turned and left the room heading towards the temple and Shirah; he had to find Kyra.

Four mercenaries sat aboard their brand new under-cutter congratulating themselves on another successful snatch. This was going to be a very lucrative run; already they had gotten this new ship as a down payment and after they dropped their cargo off at the coordinates they had just been given, they would get the rest: $695k for one little girl. They had laughed when they heard of this new payday; after taking one look at her picture they took the job. Easy.

The crew consisted of four men of widely varying talents: Donald Jefferies; the leader of this little operation; a brilliant mathematician, he could give highly accurate odds to any snatch at any given time, and had once been a highly sought after navigator who specialized in interstellar jumps. That is until he found it was much more lucrative to work in the buying and selling of convicts.

J. Lukas; a top notch pilot who used to work with Jefferies but always leaned toward the illegal side of things so he compromised and became one of the 'fake badges', a merc, legit but able to break the same laws they were hunting people down for.

Mark 'The Hand' Scott; as evil as hell and he enjoyed making convicts lives as miserable as he could. Dumb as an ox and nearly as big, but good muscle to have around.

Then there was the Rat; no one knew his real name but those who he surrounded himself with didn't care. He was one of the best hackers in the known universe and he enjoyed the money of the mercenary lifestyle so he tagged along and made life a little easier for those he worked with.

As the four of them sat around the ship admiring their perfect snatch, Rat was doing a little research on their newest passenger. After a little digging here and there, a quiet beep sounded and a mug shot of a young girl, maybe thirteen-fourteen, with short curly hair popped up on the screen with her bio along the side. "Hey, shut up! Listen to this." Rat yelled, drawing the attention of his companions. They huddled around as he began to read;

"-Born: Audrey Jacqueline Roberts; April 19, 5993.-

-Ran away from home at the age of twelve and was known to have bought a fare on the crashed ship Hunter Gratzner (launched from just outside the Conga System August 4, 6005) under the name of Jack B. Badd. Allegedly using money she stole previously from her step-father.-

-She disappeared after the Hunter Gratzner went off course somewhere in the M-344/G System and all radio contact was lost on January 18, 6006.-

-According to a report of the former mercenary Toombs dated January 29, 6006, Audrey "Jack" allegedly reappeared on an unregistered Mercenary vessel in the company of the escaped convict and murderer Richard B. Riddick and an unknown holy man.-

-May 5, 6006 Jack reappeared again on New Mecca in the care of Abu 'Imam' al-Walid and was again reported to have run away shortly afterwards-

-Reportedly a thirteen year old girl known as Jack joined a group of mercenaries out of Lupus 5.-

-September 15, 6006 a Jack B. Badd was signed over to a slave company.-

-October 11, 6006 a report that twelve slavers were found slaughtered. Jack was reported missing and was named by several eye witnesses as the murderer.-

-November 23, 6006 a Kyra, formerly Jack B. Badd, formerly Audrey Roberts, was captured by mercenaries and was sent to Crematoria prison.-

-March 3, 6010 six convicts, including Kyra, escaped from Crematoria, allegedly led by Richard B. Riddick. There have been no reports as to their whereabouts or if any survived the escape itself.-"

"Holy shit." J said in a whisper. "This chick is more dangerous than we were told… She fuckin' ghosted twelve slavers and the age of thirteen! Not to mention she has a big friend from the looks of it. Shit! Let's just drop her as soon as we can and get the hell away!"

"You're nothin' but a bunch of pussies!" Jefferies chuckled. "But I agree with you. We'll get the money and go…No need to tempt the odds." He looked back at the cryo chamber that held their costly cargo. "She's asleep now. Nothing to worry about."

Turning towards J he said, "Come on, enter the damn coordinates and let's get some sleep. We have a long way to go."

Shirah awoke to a heavy pounding on her door. Pulling herself upright, she grabbed a wrap and went to answer the door. As soon as the door was open, Riddick stepped in; his goggles were off and she saw his eyes dart quickly, almost hopefully around the room. "Riddick? What is going on?" Shirah asked.

"Kyra." Riddick answered unhelpfully as he pushed passed her and checked all the connecting rooms.

"Kyra? What are you talking about?...Oh." Realization suddenly hit her; Kyra storming out of the arena, Riddick leaving after her, Riddick searching her rooms… "Riddick, she's not here." Shirah said gently but Riddick had already finished checking the rooms and had turned back to her.

"We have to find her. Call the temple guards, have them search the city." He turned towards the door heading for the warrior training facility to look there and gather more searchers, but Shirah's voice stopped him.

"Riddick, are you sure she wants to be found?"

Riddick turned back towards her and with one look left her in no doubt that it didn't matter whether Kyra did or not. He would find her.

Temple guards, warrior trainees, Shirah and Riddick quickly searched the entire city: Kyra was nowhere to be found and the only clue that they had dug up was that a small space craft was missing from one of the aviation hangers. After that piece of information had come to light, many of the searchers stopped their searching; there were only a few still out looking now with the orders to question _anyone_ who might know _anything_ about the missing ship. Riddick waited restlessly for their news at the capitol building. Shirah stayed with him there through the night though she hardly dared to speak and instead watched as the tension built inside him.

After several hours had passed of the tense silence Shirah finally spoke what was on her mind, "Riddick… Maybe…Maybe she doesn't want to be found. She might need some time alone and so she took the ship and left. You heard what she said earlier…She wanted you to see her leave." Shirah took a deep breath and plunged on looking Riddick directly into his blank goggles, "Maybe you need to accept that she did."


	31. Talk

Chapter 31: Talk

"No." Riddick said quietly, "Kyra didn't leave. First of all, her stuff is still in our room. Second, Kyra doesn't run. She has never run from anything and she won't."

He met Shirah's unbelieving face and stiffened, "You told me once that I was strong where Kyra was weak and she was strong where I was weak. One way we're different is that Kyra doesn't run. I've always run when I could to save my own ass.

"If there was one thing she ever showed me it is that I can't run for the rest of my life, I have to stop and risk it all or else lose it all. She understood that, has always understood that there are things worth risking everything for. She never ran away. She was always chasing something." He paused. "I stopped running and I stayed on this planet because she is worth the risk, now, it's my turn to chase."

His eyes bore into Shirah's and she nodded slightly. She still wasn't convinced that Kyra didn't leave but she knew for certain that no matter what else happened; Riddick would find her. Or die trying.

She was also worried about what his 'chase' could do to the Furyan people: He had freed them from the tyrannical reign of the Elders, Elder Declan in particular, and gave them the time they needed for hope to spark within the people. But could all their work survive without him? She looked out a nearby window and saw people going about their daily business; smiles were on their faces as they greeted each other and Shirah had to answer that yes it could. Thanks to him they were rebuilding and the people had new energy; Shirah knew that even if he was gone they could continue…Slower to be sure, but the rebuilding would go on.

Shirah was distracted from these thoughts by the sudden entrance of two temple guards. Both she and Riddick turned towards them as they placed their hands on their marks in the customary Furyan sign of respect. "We found out what we could about the missing ship." One of the guards said hurriedly, "There was no flight plan submitted by the ship and according to the flight controller it left reporting only five passengers on board who were heading out for a short pleasure cruise. I am sorry but that is all we know, flight control couldn't tell us more." They saluted again and left.

Shirah looked back at Riddick whose face remained unreadable and said with great sympathy, "I am sorry Riddick…Another dead end." She took a deep breath, "It is late – or rather early. Get some sleep and we can begin our search again later." With that she stood, gave him an encouraging smile which he ignored, and left for the temple.

The second moon was just beginning to set as Riddick crept through the door of the aviation headquarters and slid into the shadows. Several guards were making their rounds; one walked so close to Riddick that he could see a tiny, nearly invisible scar on the guard's cheek through his goggles. After the guard walked by, Riddick continued along the wall, silent as a ghost. Finally, staying in the shadows, he made his way past the remaining guards and slipped undetected through the door at the far end of the room.

Without hesitation Riddick continued on until he found the flight control tower and a single man slouched in his chair sleeping. The young man started and fell sideways out of his chair when he awoke and saw the big man standing over him. It took only a moment for Riddick to immobilize and secure him in the old metal chair. Then, with shiv in hand, Riddick pulled a matching chair in front of the pale young man, faced it backwards and sat, straddling the back and making himself comfortable.

"Talk." Riddick ordered quietly breaking the frightened man's focused concentration on the shiv Riddick held casually, comfortably, in his hand and causing him to jump.

"What? Talk about what? What are you doing in here?" The man whimpered loudly.

Riddick lunged forward, knocking his chair out of the way and placed his long, curved shiv threateningly close to the man's groin and hovering over the femoral artery. He didn't have time for this. "TALK!" Riddick roared and predictably the frightened man pressed backwards into his chair and nodded quickly.

"Fine…Fine! You want to know about the flight? I'll tell you anything you need to know!" His words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush. Riddick removed his knife, righted his chair and leaned back against it, tapping his shiv against his own leg as a reminder. The man got the point and hurried on, "They radioed for permission to take off right after I came on shift. I asked how many passengers were on board…They reported five. Um…Four men and a woman. I asked for a flight plan, they said they didn't have one…They just wanted to go for a spin. I let them go… That's all" He said breathlessly.

Riddick stood, "That almost sounded convincing. Now, tell me the real story." The man hesitated so Riddick gave him some encouragement with the back of his fist; smashing the side of the man's face and breaking his nose.

Bloodied and whimpering, the man finally began to speak, blubbering and swearing the whole time. According to the man's story a group of people had set up an involved scheme to kidnap Kyra. The plan as far as the man knew was to go something like this: A woman was to pick a fight with Kyra and lure her into the city; four hired men were going to pick her up and take her to the hanger after the man that they had paid off was on shift…Him. He was to let them go and tell anyone who asked his cover story.

"That's all I know, I swear. I was just supposed to take the money and keep my mouth shut! Please…That's all I know." He said pitifully around his rapidly swelling split lip and fell silent.

Riddick looked impassively into the trembling man's eyes but a threatening and barely concealed energy radiated from him. "You know who did this." It wasn't a question.

"No! No, I don't…I swear." He said panicking and pulling himself as far back into his chair as he could.

Riddick merely stepped closer and silently laid his shiv against the man's throat in a silent promise. "No! Please!" he begged but didn't continue so, slowly, Riddick began pulling the blade across the tender skin right under his jaw drawing a thin, red line with the edge of the knife. Blood slowly began to trickle down the man's neck as he moaned in terror and began to babble, "Fine! Fine…I'll tell you _everything_! It was the Feore family! Elder Declan set up the whole thing and he had his niece, Louna Feore, taunt the girl into a fight…I heard something went wrong…The girl, Kyra, almost killed Louna but it all worked out anyway…She ran into the city leaving Louna alive… The Elder said something about punishing her for that since Louna is the youngest of that family, th-the 'pride of their family' or something like that he said…I don't know what the punishment was…But…But that's what happened. That's all. Please…" His voice dropped to a defeated whisper, "that's all I know."

He looked up and saw cold fury on Riddick's face: It was like nothing he had ever seen before. To him it was like the face of death and it would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life.

Anger and hatred seemed to radiate off the man before him; he seemed to vibrate with it. Then, with a movement so swift that the man had no time to react, a giant fist flew forward and smashed into his face, knocking him out cold. It would be hours before he awoke.

Shirah awoke shortly before mid-day. She pulled on her priestly robes, tied her long hair back from her freshly washed face and headed out the door toward the capitol building. She walked through the arched doorway and into the council chamber expecting to see Riddick already there but she was surprised to see the chamber empty except for the few guards standing around the room. With a slight shrug she continued on towards Riddick and Kyra's rooms but the loud bang of the chamber door opening caught her attention. Turning quickly back toward the sound she saw several of her temple guards run into the chamber. "Priestess! Priestess" They shouted over each other when they saw her, creating a ruckus that drew several of the Elders and their aids out of their rooms and the halls into the chamber; creating a small audience.

"What is the problem?" Shirah asked, instantly worried.

Now that they had her attention they glanced amongst themselves and then, finally, one of the guards stepped forward; "The Feore's are dead! Every last one of them was slaughtered this morning." Gasps and murmurs spread throughout the chamber and the blood rushed from Shirah's face as she realized that she knew what the guard would say next. He continued, "Another ship is missing from the hanger…And the Riddick is gone."


	32. Disaster

Chapter 32: Disaster

It had been nearly five months since Kyra was taken and Riddick had left to find her. He had gone from planet to planet searching and digging for any information on ships that had passed through their airspace. Some were helpful after a little encouragement, and some weren't. The body count was rising.

Finally he got a lead from a fat, pockmarked man sitting in a grungy office by an old, rusty flight hanger on a little out of the way agricultural planet called Anitra 2. An under cutter that matched Riddick's description had crossed a shipping lane just outside the airspace of Anitra 2 nearly two weeks before. There was very little space traffic in the area, sometimes months passed between landings or use of the shipping lanes, so any activity was noticed and remembered. With a little persuasion Riddick finally got its general heading, left the bloodied man, and headed back to his ship.

As he entered the dilapidated hanger and neared the ship, he saw a slight movement in the shadows underneath it. Instantly he stopped and quickly backed up behind some large shipping crates. Slowly, carefully, he glanced out around the large metallic boxes and watched as the shadow finished whatever it was it was doing and left quickly, glancing around to make sure he hadn't been noticed; Riddick ducked back and pressed himself tightly against the crates as the man exited.

The small hanger was empty so Riddick came out from behind the crates, jogged to his ship, and looked underneath where the man had been working. A small alloy box had been attached to the wiring and it was giving off a soft, but slowly building, ticking sound.

Without hesitation Riddick turned and ran; his body working like a smooth machine as it ate up the ground in huge strides. He had almost made it through the hanger door when a pressure wave hit him hard in the back, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying forward just as the sound of an explosion reached his ears. He hit the ground, rolling and tumbling as intense heat washed over him. Finally he came to a stop and held himself as flat against the ground as he could, gritting his teeth against the heat and waiting for it to subside. Moments seemed to last forever and then, at last, the flame front receded leaving nothing but a rain of debris.

Riddick slowly rolled onto his back, grimacing as his burned skin hit the hot dirt. He lay still for several seconds, trying to clear his head and then stood, shrugged his shoulders testing out the skin on his back. It didn't seem too bad and he knew that it would heal quickly anyway. What concerned him was the scene he was now surveying: The hanger, the little grungy office he had just left, and his ship, were destroyed. Nothing remained in the dusty field but a pile of rubble.

His felt as though a weight had landed on his chest. The man who he had just finished interrogating in that now destroyed office had told him that his was the only ship currently on the planet. He watched as smoked curled up from the wreckage, and flames finished devouring his way off planet; destroying his one way to Kyra.

Jefferies slowly woke up, pulling himself back into reality. He was just happy that this little under cutter didn't put its passengers in full Cryo Stasis; now that was a bitch to wake up from. Now he just felt like he had been in a really deep sleep for five months…which, basically, he had been.

The other three mercs were just beginning to wake up as well, staring groggily around at each other; J and the Rat were slowly stretching out their long unused joints as the Hand stared around dimly.

"Sweet dreams?" Jefferies asked, pulling himself up and heading to the back of the ship to check on their guest of honor. All he could see through the Cryo chamber's door was her face and she appeared to be fast asleep. Good. She wasn't supposed to wake up until they had touched down and got their money anyway.

He turned back to the others as J pulled himself into the captain's chair. "Planet Sahade; the Konis system. What a beauty." J said sarcastically looking up through the cockpit windows. In truth the planet looked rather like Mars from the Solar System, though much smaller. It was nothing but an overheated reddish-orange rock.

"Let's take her down." Jefferies said working the kinks out of his neck, and they began their descent.

They landed at the coordinates that they had been given by Declan's people, right in the center of a large, open dust field surrounded by sharp cliff faces. Heat waves floated up from the hot dirt and rocks, making everything shimmer and dance. Jefferies and the others stood just outside their little ship wiping the sweat that had already accumulated off their brows as they looked around. "So, where the hell are they?" Rat asked, squinting in the glare of sun.

"Not here." Hand said, never one to resist stating the obvious.

"No shit, you idiot." Rat replied and nonchalantly turned away. He and Hand went way back.

"Must be running late." Jefferies said. "Let's go inside. Hot as hell out here." With that he turned and walked back up the ramp inside the little ship, the others following close behind.

Hours passed…there was no sign of the men who were supposed to meet them for the drop off. The mercs were beginning to get impatient. "Do you think they changed their minds?" Hand asked in his low, bass voice.

"No one would change their mind after already giving us their ship. Nah, their just running late." J replied sensibly, but Rat and Jefferies didn't seem so sure.

"Maybe…Maybe they got 'waylaid'." Rat said, "I mean, you did see who this girl's friends were right? If she's alive, who's to say _he_ isn't? I mean, he might be on his way. _Now._" He glanced around as though expecting to see a ghost. J laughed mockingly at Rat's show of weakness but Jefferies looked thoughtful.

"Tomorrow. If they aren't here by tomorrow, we'll take her and leave. Find us a slam who wants her. She's got a good enough record…We can break even at least." He said decidedly, "And we won't have to worry about _him_." Rat nodded but J shrugged, "Whatever."

The rest of their evening was spent pleasantly, telling exaggerated stories about their various snatches and the horror stories that came with their trade. Rat couldn't help but notice how many of the really horrible stories included _him_; the great legendary Riddick, the most wanted man in the universe. He shuddered as he glanced around nervously.

They were all so wrapped up in their stories that they forgot to reset the timer on Kyra's Cryo chamber. Hours passed and they finally all fell asleep as the digits on her chamber got smaller and smaller.

It was early, _very_ early in the morning; it would be several hours before the sun rose over the cliff walls. A soft click, click, click was heard followed by a soft hiss of escaping air. Slowly, the door of the Cryo chamber swung open revealing Kyra hanging limply from her restraints.

She began to stir. Her dark blue eyes opened and darted quickly around the nearly black room. Instinctively, her long unused muscles tensed and she stood, supporting her own weight; relieving the pressure from her wrists and ankles. Just in the nick of time because her restraints suddenly released sending her stumbling forward awkwardly, narrowly avoiding falling on her face. As she regained her balance she looked around once more in the dark, heart pounding, and saw the outlines of four sleeping men. She couldn't believe her luck. They were still asleep! The chemicals used in lower level Cryo to put people to sleep must still be in their system so they hadn't heard her awaken.

Adrenaline rushed through her. Quickly, quietly, she ran down the still open ramp and into the cool air of the valley. She quickly got her bearings, turned and ran into the thick shadows of the cliffs. Once she got there she stopped, she couldn't see an inch in front of her face and her heart was pounding crazily in her chest.

She was finding it rather hard to breath and for the first time since waking up she took the time to evaluate herself and the environment around her: The air was thick and heavy making it difficult to breathe, but there also seemed to be something wrong with her lungs; they didn't seem to want to expand properly. It felt as though she was wearing something tight and restraining around her middle, cutting off the lower part of her lungs. Quickly she patted herself down.

And froze.

She continued to run her hands over her lower abdomen, "Oh God." She whispered. There, where her stomach used to be flat, was a smooth roundness. Her once baggy pants were pulled tight a crossed it.

She pressed her back against the cliff and slowly slid down until she was sitting, her hands still resting against her belly. _"Oh, God…I'm pregnant."_


	33. Search for Escape

Chapter 33: Search for Escape

Riddick stood alone in the dusty field watching as his ship burned. His face hardened with resolve as he turned away and took in the landscape around him. The little cleared area that had been used as a make-shift spaceport was surrounded by acres upon acres of farmlands. Crops spread out as far as he could see. His well trained eyes found what he was looking for; footprints heading straight into the farmland, the bomber's. Riddick followed. Getting out of places no one else could was one of his tricks, and he was already working on his escape.

Kyra sat for several minutes, stunned. She had never felt more disoriented then she did now. She had no idea where she was, no idea how long she had been in Cryo, no idea what she was doing wherever the hell she was, and to top it all off, she felt as though she didn't even know her own body.

She tried to gather her thoughts: What did she know? She started with that. She had been kidnapped and brought to this planet by four men and she could remember being chained and locked into the Cryo chamber so at least she could count out rape; this baby had to be Riddick's. She felt her stomach again; from the feel of it, she must be what, four, five months along? The night before she was kidnapped…That must have been about four or five months ago because it had been such a long time before that that she and Riddick had been alone together, that she would have know she was pregnant before she had been abducted.

Okay. So she was at least four months out of Furya, maybe five, on planet held captive by four men who she assumed were mercs. And she was pregnant. With Riddick's baby.

Through all the fear and confusion a soft warmth spread through her; comforting her. This was her baby. Her baby with Riddick. She wasn't alone. A rush of love and protectiveness flowed through her. She wouldn't let _anything_ happen to it. With that renewed strength and resolve she stood and began walking along the cliff face away from the ship, searching for a way out.

Kyra had no idea how long she had been walking, stumbling along in the dark when her hand suddenly no longer felt the canyon wall; she had found an opening! It was only wide enough for her to squeeze through sideways, holding her thickening stomach in as much as she could. It was pitch black inside and she couldn't see how far the crevice continued, but she struggled along anyway; hoping it would lead her out of the canyon.

As she squeezed through the dusty crack she noticed a slight brightening, she could finally see the wall in front of her. She looked upwards and saw a pale green light filtering down. The sun was rising. She hurried on.

J awoke with a start. Something felt wrong. Quickly he looked around at the other three sleeping soundly and his eyes crossed the empty Cryo chamber. They darted back.

"SHIT!" He yelled and jumped up kicking the Hand in the knee who then let out an equally loud yell as he grasped his knee threatening to do all kinds of horrible things to J.

J was not listening but had run to the Cryo chamber and stared inside. Jefferies and Rat joined him with Hand limping along behind. An explosion of vulgarities were shouted as the four men grabbed their preferred weapons and stepped out into the already blazing sun.

Kyra had come to a dead end. She now had a rock wall in front, back and on her left side leaving her only two choices; she could either go back the way she had come and risk being recaptured by the mercs; or she could climb, risking herself and her baby on muscles that had been stationary for five months.

She debated with herself for only a moment and then planted her arms against the wall a mere six inches from her face, wedging her back against the opposite wall and began to climb.

It felt as though days were passing as she inched upwards. Her whole body was bathed in sweat from the ever increasing heat. Her mouth was dry and her lips were beginning to crack from the lack of water but she forced herself on. At one point her arms buckled, sending her sliding down several feet; tearing her back against the rough stone wall and sending a small avalanche of bouncing and banging rocks and dust down to the crevice floor before she was able to stop herself.

"Shit!" She said softly to herself as she sat frozen, her arms and legs shaking from the exertion. Tears of frustration rose to her eyes but she quickly blinked them back. It was no time to be weak. She had to do this. She couldn't give up. Taking a deep breath she began climbing upward once more.

Finally, when her body was just about to give out, she made it to the top and pulled herself exhaustedly onto the hot, flat dust; lying sprawled out on her back, trembling as her muscles began to relax. She lay that way for nearly a quarter of an hour before she could summon enough energy to move.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked around: She was sitting near the edge of a deep, circular canyon. The crevice she had just crawled out of shot out from the cliff wall like a ray of the sun. She turned away from the canyon and saw that the orange-red dust stretched out as far as she could see. There were no mountains or hills to mark the land. The sky was an odd green color with wispy, dark clouds scudding quickly across the sky without giving any shade or relief from the burning hot sun. A constant wind was blowing in sharp contrast to the dead air she felt down in the bottom of the canyon, and it was constantly pelting her exposed skin with tiny, stinging rocks and dirt particles. Her hair was thick with it. Ignoring the irritation, she stood, turned her back on the large canyon and to the wind and began walking toward the sunrise.

Down in the canyon bottom the four mercs continued their search. They had found some foot prints but then lost them outside a small crevice in the cliff wall. It was nearly mid-day and they knew from the release time on the Cryo chamber that Kyra had had an eight hour head start. They were growing more and more frustrated. None of them could fit inside the crevice to see if she was still there or if she had somehow managed to climb out. The heat was nearly unbearable in the thick, dead air of the canyon bottom so they returned to their ship. They decided to fly out of the canyon and search for her on the planet's surface, just in case she _had_ somehow escaped from the crevice. They all knew one thing; there was no way in hell they were letting their little payday go. It had become personal.


	34. Dust Storm

Chapter 34: Dust Storm

Riddick crouched low at the edge of the field. The sun had set as he was tracking the bomber, throwing everything into a black, moonless night. His goggles were pushed up onto his forehead as he surveyed his surroundings.

Ahead of him was a small, quaint village. All the buildings seemed to be dug out of the earth, leaving only low, rounded hills and a short flight of stair visible from the surface. Smoke and light were filtering out of several of the dugouts, accompanied by the noises of families happily preparing their dinner, but a great deal of sound was coming from one of the larger hills; laughing, yelling, and drunken singing. A tavern. _"Got ya."_ Riddick thought as he stood and made his way to the large mound, down the steps and through the rough, wooden door.

It took several moments before the occupants noticed him, but as they did, silence fell throughout the room. It was not often that a stranger came to their village, and this was a very noticeable stranger.

Riddick studied them all as he stood by the door. A movement caught his eye. He just caught a glimpse as a man slipped through the door in a dark corner of the room. Ignoring the continued stares Riddick crossed the room and went through the door, his shiv sliding into his hand.

The room he had just entered was gently lit by candles and contained nothing but an old, wooden stairwell that led downwards into an earthen passageway. Riddick followed as it led further and further downwards; through storage rooms and what must be the tavern owner's apartments.

A door slammed just around the corner ahead of him. Riddick quickened his pace, yanked open the rotting door, and stepped into an old, unlit chamber. As the darkness enveloped him, he pulled off his goggles and crouched low.

Old piles of rotting wooden crates were stacked along the walls, giving off a sickeningly sweet stench. He held himself motionless and in the heavy silence, he heard a heartbeat; its beating erratic. Riddick pinpointed where the sound was coming from; to his left, behind the crates.

Without making a sound he crept over to the corner. Crouching on the other side of the crates he could hear the man's breathing and smell his cold, clammy sweat. Riddick edged further around until the man came into view, huddled on the hard packed dirt floor, eyes darting around uselessly in the darkness. He froze when he felt the hard, cold edge of a blade press against his throat. "Guess who…Merc."

Kyra forced herself to walk on. The huge, blue sun had long since reached its peak and was now beating down relentlessly on her back. Sweat was running in rivulets down Kyra's spine; water was fast becoming a matter of desperation since she was already dehydrated from her extended time in Cryo sleep. She had seen no sign of water however; no plant life, no animal life, but she remembered what Imam had once said and she could hear his deep voice repeated it in her head over and over, _"Every desert has water, it only waits to be found."_ So she walked on.

J settled the ship down at the top of the crevice, and they disembarked once again to search the ground. Wind buffeted them, stinging their faces and any other skin they had left uncovered as they searched. Finally Jefferies yelled over the howling wind, "This is fucking useless. If she was here, her tracks have been covered by this fucking wind. Get back on the ship."

They began walking back to the ship, fighting the wind when they suddenly heard a deep roar. The all stopped and looked around. The roaring was growing louder and louder. As one they all looked towards the ever lowering sun and were rendered speechless at the sight: A huge wall of dust was flying across the flat landscape towards them, blacking out the horizon. "SHIT!" J yelled as they all broke into a sprint and dove inside the ship just as the wall struck; sending them all tumbling and rolling in its fury. The ship's lights flickered, and then died.

Kyra stood still, trying to force her mind to focus on what she was seeing. As she walked she had come abruptly to a sharply sloping cliff face which apparently led into another canyon. She couldn't see the bottom due to the blowing dust and grit that was flying over the edge and threatening to pull her along with it. She glanced to either side, trying to judge how big the canyon was and if it would be easy enough to walk around. She couldn't make out any change in the cliff face. It almost seemed as if she had suddenly walked to the edge of the world and could go no further.

"_Shit. Now what?_" she thought blearily. Her body was screaming at her to stop and rest; to lie down and never get up. She grit her teeth, feeling dirt crunch as she bit down. She would go on…There was nothing else for her to do. She looked down and rested her hand on her rounded stomach. She couldn't give up. Turning she continued on along the ridge.

She had lost track of time as she walked along the canyon ridge and she hadn't noticed any change in direction either. _"This fucking thing seems to go on forever!"_ she thought to herself.

She was finding it harder and harder to breathe; her throat and mouth were so dry that they didn't seem to draw in air and what air she did get was whipped out of her mouth by the incessant wind. She was beginning to stop more and more often, gasping for breath, hoping to clear her head. She had found a tiny, smooth pebble to suck on trying to ease her thirst, and though it did draw more saliva into her mouth, she still felt parched and weak. Thoughts of water filled her mind. Lakes…rain…roaring rivers… Her thoughts were snagged on that one.

Cool spray struck her body, the river's roaring filled her ears…And grew louder…Too loud. Her mind suddenly snapped back to reality. It wasn't spray that was striking her; it was the ever driving dirt particles. She glanced over her shoulder and without pausing to think, she did the only thing she could. She jumped over the edge of the cliff as a huge wall of dirt blew over her head.

She fell for only moments before the steeply sloping edge of the cliff caught her and sent her sliding downward on her already battered back.

Finally, her feet struck firm ground and she fell forward, torn and bleeding. She lay still, gasping for breath. Her breaths became dry sobs as the pain, exhaustion, and thirst overcame her. "FUCK!" She screamed. It echoed off the canyon walls, bouncing around and around her until it finally faded away, leaving nothing but silence. Kyra's skin felt numb from the sudden lack of wind. Unable to force her weary muscles into move any further, she fell into a deep sleep; all alone at the bottom of a cliff.

Riddick felt a sudden pull at his heart. Something was wrong. He didn't know how he knew it, but he did. Kyra needed him. She was hurt and she was scared.

He slammed his fist into the merc's face. They were in forest near the village. Riddick had…Persuaded the man into walking out of the tavern with him and into the trees where he had then proceeded to ask questions. They had just started and already the kneeling merc sported a freshly broken and bleeding nose as well as various other, less noticeable injuries.

"I know you didn't think you could get me all by yourself, come on. Tell me where the others are, and where you are hiding your ship and I'll make it fast. Don't, and I'll enjoy watching you suffer." Riddick said slowly, almost lazily. A complete opposite to what he was feeling inside. _"Damn, she did make me soft."_

The man slowly drug his head upwards until he was looking Riddick in the eyes. "Fuck you." He said, spitting the blood out of his mouth. "I won't tell you shit, you merc killing mother fucker."

Riddick just looked down at him. Then, swiftly and smoothly, he sliced open the merc's stomach, right below the navel. Blood and entrails spilled outward and pooled in the man's lap. Riddick turned and walked away, listening to the man scream and gag as he tried to put himself back together. "Should have talked." He said, knowing the man could still hear him. "It will take you hours to die now." With that, he disappeared into the forest.


	35. Darkness Falls

Chapter 35: Darkness Falls

Kyra awoke slowly, finding herself lying heavily on her stomach which was now incredibly uncomfortable. She pressed her torn palms against the heavy dust and pushed herself upward, cringing as sore muscles and ripped skin were stretched. Finally she staggered to her feet and looked around.

The canyon she found herself in was much different from the one where the ship had landed. Where that one was round and barren, this one was long and narrow with some spongy looking plant life growing at the base of the cliff walls. A now familiar roaring continued to fill the air and she glanced up seeing the dust storm blowing by overhead. She was amazed; hardly any of the dust and none of the wind made its way down into the canyon. It was the perfect storm shelter.

She was shaken from her thoughts as a wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her to stumble and remember that she needed water, and fast. Again she picked up a small rounded pebble to suck on; it would help keep the gnawing thirst at bay. Kyra glanced back and forth trying to decide which direction to head. The plant life seemed more abundant to her left, so she turned and began stumbling down the canyon.

Riddick was angry. His girl was out there somewhere alone and she needed him. He didn't have time to work out this escape. He had to get off this planet NOW.

His anger kept him moving all through the night and well into the next morning when he finally reached the edge of the forest. All he could see ahead of him was fields and emptiness. He wanted to keep moving but knew that he had to get some sleep. It had been several days since he had gotten any and even then it had been for only a few short hours. He forced himself to lie down under a huge tree and close his eyes. He remained alert to the sounds around him as he rested and tried to calm the thoughts that were spiraling through his mind:

There was more than one merc, he knew. No one in their right mind would try to take him on alone. He was guessing at least a four man crew…Maybe – probably - more. They knew what they were doing; their bomb technology had been first rate, so he couldn't count on ignorant amateurs.

Riddick had continued in this direction through the forest because it followed the same general direction the bomber had been heading before Riddick had picked him off. He knew the bomber had thought he had been successful in killing Riddick by the ease with which Riddick had caught him. If the merc had had any question that Riddick might still be alive, he would have covered his tracks more completely.

Their plan must have been to ghost him as he returned to his ship and then come back at their leisure to collect the body. Riddick took that as a compliment; he had obviously become too much of a risk for the mercs to attempt a live snatch.

But now, since the bomber wouldn't talk, all Riddick could do was continue on in the same direction and look for the other bastards who were going to use him as their next payday.

Shit. He didn't have the time for this.

Giving up trying to force himself to sleep he stood and continued on through some more fucking fields.

Kyra's hopes began to rise as she continued down the canyon; more and more plant life was springing up everywhere. The sponge like plants were now covering the ground, making the ground springy as she walked and some strange stunted tree-like plants were beginning to become more and more numerous. Water must be nearby.

The sun must have been setting on the surface because the light was quickly beginning to fade within the canyon. In the dimming light, Kyra noticed that the walls of the canyon had gradually begun to spread, and soon she was entering a field of sorts surrounded by the canyon wall on three sides. Riddick's training kicked in and she pressed herself back against the canyon wall, keeping out of sight as best as she could until she secured the area. Slowly she leaned her head out and glanced around. The valley appeared empty.

Then she saw it; near the center of the field a small spring bubbled to the surface creating a crystal clear pond. Abandoning all caution, she made for it as quickly as she could and dropped to her knees on its banks. She knew it would be idiotic to just dive in and drink an unknown liquid from an unknown planet so, with huge effort, she held of her thirst and tested it; it smelled okay and after dipping her hand in and bringing a small amount to her lips she found that it was, indeed, water. She gave in and drank as though she could never get enough. Finally satiated, she lay back and let sleep overcome her once more.

Kyra awoke to the thick blackness of night and it took her several minutes to remember where she was. She stood and stretched out her increasingly sore and abused back as she looked around the field, wishing again that she had Riddick's eyes.

She could still hear the storm roaring overhead, masking out any other noise and making her rely even heavier on her near useless vision. She felt vulnerable standing in the center of a field she could hardly see so, after getting one more drink she made her way to the cliff wall, protecting her back from any attack that may come.

She sat alone with her torn back pressed against the still warm stone of the cliff face as the night wore on. Loneliness, anxiety, fear, anger, hatred, and emotions she couldn't name all took turns holding her in their grasp as the dark hours passed. She felt the coldness, the fury, which she had become so accustomed to on Crematoria creep back into her soul. It was poisoning her, but she embraced it. It gave her strength and the pain, the ever gnawing agony of it, let her know she was still alive.

Leaning forward against her bent knees, she covered her face in her hands and began to rock gently forwards and backwards expending the nervous energy that her choice of poison gave her. If she held still, she felt as though she would explode; scream until her throat was raw and bleeding at the injustice of it all, at the raw _pain_ that had built itself up inside her. All she let escape was one word, uttered in a soft whisper that was lost in the roar of the storm, "Riddick!"

Riddick stopped. He was standing in the middle of yet another field, surrounded by a tall, thick plant of some kind. Anitra 2 rotated quickly on its axis making a day last less than sixteen hours so once again, Riddick found himself in the darkness that he welcomed.

He had covered miles already, stopping only to eat and drink when the opportunity presented itself. But now he stopped again, listening. He had heard someone call his name, or rather he _felt_ someone call his name as though it had passed through his soul. "Kyra." He said softly, knowing who it was he felt calling him; the only person who had ever, and could ever touch his soul. His mind filled with thoughts of her when suddenly he heard a snap. Quickly he turned and crouched, his shiv appearing in his hand as though by magic.

Without warning a bullet slammed into his lower right side, tearing through his thick muscles and spinning him sideways, dropping him to his knees.

Riddick jumped quickly back onto his feet as men poured out of the thick plants, surrounding him. Weakened by the loss of blood, Riddick fought feverishly. Many men fell until the ground was littered with their bodies: Then slowly, by shear power of numbers, they overcame him and darkness fell before those silver eyes


	36. Luck

Chapter 36: Luck

The mercs carried Riddick's heavy, limp form to their ship, bound in titanium restraints. He was near death from the loss of blood and the injuries they had inflicted on him in order to subdue him, but they thought themselves lucky that he was still alive. Their original plan had been to deliver his corpse to any one of the planets he was wanted on, but he was tougher than they anticipated and now they had him, alive, to deliver for the higher bounty.

They worked quickly to latch him into the high security Cryo chamber, laughing that he must have spent more of his life in one of these chambers than out. After he was secure they brought a small, mobile NanoMed in, positioned it, and watched as it impaled his neck sending its healing agents throughout his body. Within seconds his wounds disappeared. Quickly, not giving him a chance to wake up, they stored the NanoMed machine and closed the chamber door, flipping the switch and sending Riddick into stasis.

After a fitful night's sleep Kyra awoke and stared around her. In the bright sunlight that was now filtering down at her, the canyon exploded in color. The walls were the same bright orange-red as the surface and they struck a sharp contrast with the nearly neon green of the spongy plant life that covered the canyon floor. The tree-like plants were a deep purple-blue with dark green, almost black leaves. They seemed to grow everywhere from the ground to the cliff walls, creating small patches of shade.

It was beautiful in its own way, but Kyra had no eye for its beauty; she ignored it completely as she made her way to the spring to drink, and only took note of the warmth of the sun beating on her back because it meant that, finally, the dust storm was over.

She drank long and deep from the spring, but jumped suddenly when she heard a flapping sound overhead. She looked quickly up, shielding her eyes from the sun, and spotted a rather large bird-like animal flying from tree to tree. It had a large round body, and a long, skinny neck with an almost perfectly round head perched on top. Its narrow, straight beak sat oddly on its face below its beady black eyes. Its texture was the most peculiar thing about it; it was covered in bright orange feathers along its back, wings, neck and head but its underside was completely naked and appeared to be scaled. The scales were the same green color as the sky, creating an excellent camouflage. Kyra smiled inwardly to herself; _"food."_

The rest of the morning Kyra spent exploring the little canyon valley, and found a small, rounded cave situated almost directly across the valley from the canyon opening where she had come in the night before. It would be perfect, she decided. She would use this canyon as a kind of home base until she found a way off this planet.

After her discovery of the cave, she spent the rest of the day gathering the spongy plant for a makeshift bed, wood from the trees for a fire, and then she sat carving a spear using a sharp piece of stone that had fallen from the cliff. Tomorrow she would use it to hunt the strange birds when they came in the morning to drink from the spring.

Hunger burned at her stomach as she worked, pushing her deeper and deeper into herself. The barrier that she had built around herself in Crematoria was firmly back in place. She worked on like a machine, letting the mindless activity numb her even further.

The sun was beginning to set so she built a fire in a bare patch she had scratched out on the ground in front of the cave. Soon it was burning merrily, sending its light across the valley and making shadows dance on the walls. She sat beside it using its light and continued her work on the spear.

It was nearly finished when she suddenly felt a fluttering feeling in her abdomen, making her gasp. She dropped her rock and the nearly finished spear and rested both her hands on her stomach, hardly daring to breathe. There! There it was again.

Unable to contain her amazement, she laughed. The sound bounced around and around the valley, filling it with happiness before it reached her ears again. Instantly her laughter died down, and tears began to take its place.

"What have I been doing?" Kyra said, gently cradling her stomach. "I'm not alone…I have you, and since I have you, I have your daddy too. I have no reason to let myself feel this way…Not with you. You deserve better, and I promise…_I promise_, that I will give you what you deserve." With that, Kyra took a deep breath. She had decided - no more protecting herself by cutting off all emotion. No. She had someone else to protect, to care for, to _live_ for now, and she was going to no matter what it cost her.

Away on the surface lay the wreck of what was once a small under-cutter. It appeared to have been rolled multiple times before it finally came to rest and was then covered in a thick layer of orange-red dust. Now it was nothing more than a twisted pile of alloy and hardware. Occasionally sparks would fly out from it as the electrical system shorted, but that wouldn't last too much longer now that the batteries were running dry. The sun and wind beat on it, and soon it would be nothing more than an oddly shaped hill, then…nothing.

A loud clanging sound suddenly issued from the wreck, and what was once a service hatch blew open. Three men dragged themselves out and fell the short distance to the ground where they lay still in the beating sunlight.

Jefferies looked over at the other two, "You alive?" he asked after awhile.

J looked back sardonically, "Fuck no." he said.

Rat just nodded.

They all knew Hand wasn't, they had to pass by his mangled corpse on their way out. It looked like he had been caught halfway through the hatch into the ship when it rolled and they figured his other half must have been left outside.

They all lay still for another several minutes before Jefferies broke the silence, "Lets go, I'm just about fuckin' fried."

They stood and, nursing their many injuries, went about their work on the ship. Jefferies drained all remaining water out of the hold into the emergency canteens, while J and Rat worked together to send out a mayday message to the nearest mercenary guild, giving their location and the approximate date. They looped it so that it would play over and over on the emergency power supply. Those tasks done they turned and began walking across the hot, scorched surface of Planet Sahade, hoping to find shelter before the next storm hit.


	37. Survival

Chapter 37: Survival

Jefferies, J, and Rat found shelter in a shallow canyon where they stayed for nearly a week before a ship from the nearest merc guild dropped in and picked them up. This sort of thing was done often in the mercenary community; sometimes a merc was stranded by a hard catch, or like with these three, a run of bad luck. The guild would take them off planet to re-equip and then send them along their way – for a price. Jefferies knew what they were going to do after they got a hold of a new ship: find that bitch – dead or alive. If she was alive they'd get their payday…If not… He'd have the pleasure of laughing over her dead body.

For Kyra, time seemed to hold still, even as it raced ahead. Days turned to weeks, and weeks lengthened into months. She kept a tally on the wall of her cave, just like she had on Crematoria; it had been seventy-one days since she had awaked from Cryo sleep. Seventy-one days of fighting for an existence in the blistering heat from the giant blue sun.

As the time passed she became more and more adept at hunting, surviving anyway she could. She had found more wild life than the birds to prey upon and there had been many close calls from some of the more dangerous ones, but now she knew their tricks and had some of her own. Her cave was comfortable; she had her fire constantly burning just outside the entrance to ward off any unwanted guests and just inside was a small bed made from the plant life and hides she had collected. Spears and rough knives of various kinds leaned against the other wall.

All was well except for one thing. She hadn't felt Riddick's presence since the night she had felt her baby move. She had come to take for granted the connection he had forged between them when he had marked her, but now she felt a strange emptiness and it terrified her.

Kyra continued on, however, scratching out a living on this lonely rock, constantly hoping and searching for a plan; a way off this planet so she could rejoin Riddick. Her stomach was growing ever larger, often becoming a burden and a hindrance to her but she never resented it because it meant her baby was growing strong and healthy. She could feel it moving a lot now, kicking and turning restlessly, keeping her awake at night. She had begun storing food and water in prepared skins for the time when she could no longer get around and hunt. It was soon, she knew; due to her ever increasing bulk, she realized that she must have been five months pregnant when she had escaped instead of the four she had guessed previously. The thought began to haunt her, what if she was alone when the time came for the baby to be born? What if something went wrong? She pushed those thoughts back whenever they would surface. There was no choice, nothing she could do so she just fought on.

Far, far away a pair of silver eyes opened into the darkness of the sleeping ship. The only light came from the softly blinking lights on the control panel as the ship guided itself towards their destination. Riddick was awake.

He could see twenty or more Cryo chambers lined up along the wall in front of him, filled with mercs. He tested his bonds and found them tight and secure. If there was one thing that mercs knew how to do, it was to secure their targets. But these mercs didn't know that Cryo Stasis didn't work so great on him and they had made the same mistake that so many others had before them; they believed they were in control, and for that mistake, they would die.

He worked for several seconds against the bonds that held his wrists, positioning his hand just so. Then, using the pressure of the bonds, he dislocated his thumb and, making his hand as narrow as possible, pulled it from the restraint. He did the same with his other hand until both were free, popping his thumbs back into place. Next, he began to work on the door; hotwiring it until it suddenly swung open. Balancing himself with his right hand against the chamber's framework, he reached around and hotwired the keypad, bypassing the code. It sparked several times until, finally, the restraints around his ankles popped open, letting him step out of the chamber and into the belly of the merc's ship.

Riddick ran quickly up into the cockpit, checking their location. "Shit!" he said under his breath. They had been traveling in the wrong direction for nearly two and a half months. He did some quick calculations in his head, working out their coordinates and speed in regards to the heading of the under cutter he had been given on Anitra 2.

Unknown to him, as he worked at the control panel, small red lights began to blink in each of the merc's Cryo chambers as the emergency breach alarm silently went off, alerting the quickly awakening mercs to Riddick's escape. One by one, all down the line, Cryo chambers opened with a hiss and out stumbled a merc, grabbing whatever object they could wield as a weapon; regretting locking their guns in the hold.

Riddick tensed when he heard the first door open, "_Well, well, well…maybe these fuckers aren't so dumb."_ He thought as he slowly turned and faced the quickly increasing group of mercenaries, spreading his hands apart at shoulder level. At this sign of cooperation, several mercs rushed forward and surrounded him; ordering him to kneel. Then, without any warning, one of them rammed the end of a club into his stomach, causing him to buckle forward as the air was pushed out of him. He straightened and slowly looked at the offending merc, his face unreadable. Another club suddenly bashed the back of his right knee, dropping him to the floor. The other mercs gained courage and swarmed around him, several beating his back with their blunt weapons as they jeered.

He was on all fours, supporting himself against the brutal pummeling, clenching his jaw against the pain. God, he hated mercs; they had no honor, beating a man only when he had been dropped by someone else. He felt his fury building, and he let it.

Suddenly, with a roar, he lunged upwards. Energy pulsed out from him, creating a shockwave that threw the mercs backwards. Bodies slammed into the walls and crashed into the Cryo chambers.

Riddick stood in the center of the ring of fallen men breathing deeply and slowly, relaxing his clenched muscles. His mark was glowing a soft blue again, claiming him for all to see Furyan.

As his breathing returned to normal he rolled his neck and stepped over the bodies scattered on the ground; any that appeared to be alive, he snapped their necks with his heavily booted foot. After doing that little job he turned to the control panel and reset the coordinates. Instantly he felt the ship turn, heading back the way it had come. Riddick worked with the velocity, bracing himself as they suddenly hurtled forward, the engines straining as they accelerated. It was time to find Kyra.

Riddick cleared out the bodies and sent them flying into the vacuum of space; a fitting ending for people who had devoted their lives to greed, now they would be left with nothing. Watching the last merc disappear, he returned to the cockpit and settled in the navigation chair, pouring over star charts – searching for habitable planets along the illusive under cutter's heading. It seemed to be a dark part of the universe, habitable planets were hard to come by, but finally he found something…Forty-two days out at his current speed was a small, deserted planet marked in the merc computer system as a safe transfer point: Planet Sahade; the Konis system. He entered the coordinates into the computer and sat back. It would be a long wait.


	38. Home Again

Chapter 38: Home Again

The day had come when Kyra could no longer hunt or leave her canyon; her world had shrunk to the small canyon valley she was in. She had come to the decision to no longer leave her valley when she had been hunting one of the large lizard-like creatures that roamed the barren wasteland above and had nearly been caught by its pack. She had been unable to move quickly enough after the pack had become aware of her presence and they had attacked. She only escaped when she jumped over the cliff edge into her canyon, just catching a rope she had secured their earlier to enable her to leave at will. She was still battered and bruised from slamming into the cliff face, but she was grateful she had at least been able to spin her body in midair to take the brunt of the beating on her back. Still, she had experienced some light contractions throughout the rest of the day re-enforcing her decision to no longer hunt.

Now she waited; hating her ponderous bulk that made her a prisoner in her own valley. She yearned for the baby's birth and yet dreaded going through it alone. Every inch of her called out for Riddick; she needed his support, his protection and his love as she sat alone watching the days pass by.

Jefferies' crew had acquired a new ship, restocked it and was ready to continue their pursuit. It would take less than a week to get back to planet Sahade and with their new equipment they should be able to track down their quarry while still in orbit, avoiding the need to search the planet on foot and risking getting caught in the freak dust storms. They were ready. Time to catch the bitch.

It had been thirty-nine days since Riddick had set his course towards the planet Sahade; the ship's engines were nearly fried from the high speeds Riddick pushed from them, but he was finally limping into the Konis System - three days early.

Riddick finally slowed the ship down as they entered the system and looked at his nav computer searching for the exact position of planet Sahade. He tweaked his heading slightly and rounded the giant blue sun. Gradually Sahade rose before him; an ugly, dead looking planet; its surface was riddled with canyons and little else. _"Shit."_ Riddick thought, _"could Kyra survive on that?"_

Only one way to find out; he adjusted the controls and prepared to enter the atmosphere.

He stopped. There, orbiting the planet was another ship. Smaller than his, but well equipped. He did a scan: three adult life-forms aboard; male, probably, given the size of their heat signatures and the ship was giving off a powerful energy field – a tracking scan. They were looking for someone on planet.

Carefully, Riddick changed his course and slid into orbit behind them; always keeping the horizon between them and him, staying hidden in the dark.

Several hours passed as Riddick lurked behind the scanning ship in the darkness, until finally, the scan stopped abruptly and the ship turned; heading into the atmosphere. Riddick calculated their approximate landing site to be at the bottom of a large canyon roughly ten kilometers from another long, narrow canyon. He had been watching the weather on the planet as he followed the other ship and had seen the severe dust storms that ravaged it. Nothing could survive on the surface, so if Kyra was still alive, or if she was even on this planet, she would have to be in one of the canyons scarring the planet's surface.

The other ship was landing in the large, open canyon in hopes that it would be protected from the storms, but Riddick turned instead and landed smoothly near the lip of the long, narrow canyon. If Kyra was here, she wouldn't be in a large, open canyon. It would be safer an enclosed space, like the smaller canyon he had seen nearby. Riddick guessed that was where the crew of the other ship was headed after they landed and everything rested on him getting there first. He wasn't planning on needing his ship anymore anyway.

Riddick stepped out of the ship onto the hot dust that covered the planet's surface. The sun was setting; lengthening the shadows in the canyon. Riddick stood at the edge of the cliff wall, looking down into the growing darkness. Then, turning, he lowered himself over the edge and quickly made his way to the bottom. Without hesitation; he turned to his left and began walking down the canyon.

Jefferies, J, and Rat began unloading their equipment. Added to their usual guns and restraints they had climbing equipment, portable lights and oxygen tanks to help with the heavy atmosphere. After unloading their equipment from the ship, they loaded themselves up with it and began their climb and tedious hike toward the canyon they had seen pinpointed on the scanner. They had been surprised, at first, when they had found many different life-forms on the planet, but the scanner had found only one life-form that read humanoid residing in a smaller canyon about ten kilometers away. "Ready or not, here we come!" J yelled as they pulled themselves out of the canyon, turned on their lights and began closing in on their prey.

Kyra sat on her makeshift bed, eating some dried meat in the flickering light of her fire. Her back was aching and she couldn't do anything to ease it. It had been aching for the last several days, but today it had been worse; a constant throbbing that almost stole her breath away. She adjusted herself again, searching for a comfortable position. Frustrated, she finished her sparse dinner and helped herself to some water she had brought into her cave earlier in the day, trying to wash down the dry, tough meat. Forcing her tired, sore body into movement one more time, she started banking the fire before heading to bed.

Riddick had been walking for nearly an hour when he saw a flickering light bouncing off the canyon walls, coming from what looked like a small valley ahead. It must be from a campfire. His heart pounded in his chest; could it really be her?

As he neared the valley he crouched low and pressed up against the canyon wall, hiding in the shadows. He peered out into the valley and saw a small, shadowy figure hidden in the darkness of a small cave. He could just make out its profile past the bright flames; a small delicate face and thick, curly hair pulled back into a low ponytail. It was her. He stood quickly and moved into the valley.

The fire roared higher as Kyra added the wood, sending sparks into the still night sky. She glanced up; watching them as they made their way upwards and saw something else that caught her eye. There, behind the flames, stood a dark figure. It took a moment for her eyes to focus and her mind to get past her shock and then recognition flooded her. "Riddick!" his name caught in her throat and came out in an unbelieving whisper.

Time seemed to hold still as they looked at each other. Riddick broke the spell first as he walked towards Kyra who was still kneeling next to the fire. Bending, Riddick took hold of both of her hands and gently pulled her to her feet, waiting patiently as she struggled to balance herself and stand up, and then pulled her softly around so his back was to the fire and she was standing in front of him. Now, with the fire behind him, he pulled off his goggles and looked down over her figure. Their eyes met and Kyra could read the question on his hardening face. She looked him straight into his mercury eyes and nodded, then broke the silence for the first time, "they didn't touch me."

Relief flooded over Riddick and his face broke into one of his rare, genuine smiles. He pulled Kyra against him, holding her as though he would never let her go. Kyra leaned against his hard chest, feeling the heat radiating off him and breathing in his scent. Finally, after nearly nine months, they were home


	39. In the Dark

Chapter 39: In the Dark

Kyra fell asleep quickly, cocooned in Riddick's warm embrace in her little cave. He lay quietly between the cave's opening and Kyra, watching the light of the flames flicker across her peaceful face. Happiness and contentment, two emotions that had been so lacking throughout his life, filled him. He had his Kyra back, and she was carrying his baby. If there was one thing that he would have never thought would happen in his life, it would be this. But, it had happened and here he was, with his own family. His and only his to love, care for, and protect. He felt as though the last piece of the complex puzzle of who he was had finally fallen into place. He was a man of contradictions; he was a murderer, and a savior; an enemy, and a lover; an orphan, and a father; a convict, and the leader of a race. His place was first with Kyra and their child, and second with Furya. He would never forget that lesson. The last time he did, it nearly cost him everything he held dear; Kyra.

Riddick fought off his own exhaustion as he lay in the warm cave, holding everything he loved in his arms. He knew that soon the mercs he had followed would be descending into their canyon. With a small, content smile playing on his lips, Riddick leaned forward and kissed Kyra gently on her brow before slowly untangling himself and exiting the cave. The smile left his face, leaving it hard and unreadable. His silver eyes flashed in the darkness. It was time to hunt.

Jefferies led the other two to the canyon. The heat was bearable on the surface of the planet at night and the wind had not picked up to dangerous levels, though it still pelted them with grit. They had long since wrapped their faces and necks with a protective layer of cloth and their hands were safely encased in gloves. Because of the forceful wind, it had taken them nearly five hours to walk the ten kilometers from their ship to the small canyon where they now stood.

The night was deep and silent; the only sound was the unending wind whipping across the empty plains and howling as it crossed over the canyons. According to the scanning equipment on their ship, the girl should be about a half of a kilometer away. Jefferies didn't want to take any chances of walking right by her in this canyon maze, so he order the other two to spread out and they would sweep the area; J would take the far side of the canyon, Jefferies would stay on their current side, and Rat would walk the canyon floor.

Using their ropes and equipment, they made quick work of it and soon J was standing solidly on the opposite side of the canyon with Rat down below them. Testing their radio contact they turned and began walking towards Kyra's last signal.

Riddick moved quickly up the rope Kyra had attached to the canyon wall. He crouched in the darkness, ignoring the stinging of the wind and the dust as it bit into any exposed skin. His goggles were off and he squinted against the onslaught of dirt particles as he surveyed the flat emptiness around him. He stopped as something caught his eye, about half a kilometer away were two glowing flashlights bobbing along either side of the canyon. He could just make out the slightly glowing pink of the men behind the lights as they made their way slowly forward, buffeted by the wind. He couldn't see the canyon floor from his angle, but he figured they had one walking the basement as well. He smiled. _"This is going to be easy."_

Quickly, and as silent as a ghost, he stood and moved toward his prey.

"This fuckin' WIND!" J shouted into his headset. "I can't see a fucking thing in this shit. I feel like I've picked up a good twenty pounds of this shit-dirt in my clothes. God, this place it hell."

"HA! It ain't so bad down here." Rat said in response, "It's nice and quiet and still…"

"Shut the fuck up, ass hole, or I might just give you a different kind of shit flying in your face!" J said, turning and aiming his gun and flashlight into the canyon, right at Rat's head.

"Both of you shut the fuck up! Let's just find the bitch and we'll get the hell out of here." Jefferies said, breaking up the string of profanities Rat and J were now yelling at each other. "Get moving!" he yelled as he continued walking along the cliff, well ahead of the other two.

Riddick crouched low behind the man who was aiming his gun down into the canyon. His distraction worked to Riddick's advantage as he crept up on him unaware and now was in his blind spot in the darkness. At last, after kicking some loose pebbles down in the canyon on top of his companion, the merc turned and began to move on, chuckling to himself.

Riddick made his move. He stood and quietly pressed his shiv against the man's back. The merc froze. Riddick could hear his heart skip a beat and then begin pounding as he leaned forward and softly whispered into his ear. "You think you're going to find who you're looking for, merc? You have no clue who you're fucking with." With that, Riddick pulled his second shiv and slit the mercs throat, leaving him gurgling and spitting alone in the dust as he melted back into the darkness.

Both Jefferies and the Rat had stopped dead in their tracks when they heard the unknown voice rumble in their headsets and then the sounds of J choking on his own blood filled their heads; he fought for one more breath, and then fell silent.

"Shit…Shit…Oh SHIT!" Rat yelled, panicky, breaking the shocked silence.

"Shut UP!" Jefferies yelled into his own headset, crouching low and aiming his gun at every shadow, every gust of wind, searching for any danger. J had been one of his best. _"Who could have killed him like that? With no warning? No fight, nothing!"_ His mind was racing trying to answer his questions; trying to identify the threat. It kept coming back to the same answer; Riddick _"But how? Our scan would have picked him up, a ship, __**something**__. Maybe Rat was right…Maybe this bitch does have big friends."_

Panic nearly overtook him, if it was indeed Riddick, he was way out of his league and he knew it. "Rat, keep going. Don't stay there like a fucking moron. Find the girl, and we'll get the hell out, got it?

"Yeah…yeah boss, I got it." Came the shaky reply. "You, you don't think that it's … _him_, do you?"

"It doesn't matter, just keep moving." Jefferies spat back, "Out."

Rat crept along, jumping at every sound and every shadow. His heart was racing and his breathing came in gasps. He felt a sinister presence all around him, and the sound of footfalls echoed off the walls, causing him to twist and turn trying to locate the source of the sound. Suddenly the feeling of another presence became so strong that he froze, his light pointing straight ahead of him until it disappeared into the darkness that filled the canyon. A low voice broke the silence, "Scared of the dark?" it said, sounding almost seductive.

Rat spins around, shining his light the other direction. A soft chuckle fills the canyon. "Of all the creatures I've hunted, humans are the easiest to kill."

Again Rat spins, shining his flashlight wildly around, looking for the owner of the cold, deadly voice. "No natural weapons, poor survival instincts, no armor, completely blind to the back…"

Rat spun frantically, whimpering with every exhalation. "…And the great human mind, the one thing that is supposed to set them above the animals, stops working when stressed."

A soft ticking sound came from above him and his light shot skywards, where it stopped suddenly. Crouching, not ten feet above him on a small ledge of the cliff face, was a man dressed completely in black, with goggles pulled over his eyes. In his hand he held a long, curved knife which he was tapping lightly on the edge of the ledge between his booted feet. Rat's heart stopped and his whole body froze. With absolute calm, the man gazed back down at him and said in his eerie voice, "You've chased, killed and stolen the freedom of too many people, merc. But you're biggest mistake? You went after someone that is mine."

Before Rat had time to react, the dark form launched itself from the ledge and with deadly finesse, sliced his head from his body: Blood splattered onto the dust.

Jefferies listened to the entire exchange until he heard the headset crackle and footsteps fading into the distance. He knew now. It was Riddick, it had to be. And he was next. Abandoning all hope of finishing the capture, he turned back towards his ship. He broke into a stumbling run, fighting the wind. Only one thought filled his mind; get the ship and pray the fucker doesn't know who he is.

He had been running for less than ten minutes when suddenly a knife cut through the air and lodged itself into the dirt not six inches from the foot he had just planted. Stopping instantly he raised his hands, mind darting around for any possible way out. He could hear footsteps closing in behind him in the darkness. "You must be the leader of this little group." It was the same voice that he had heard before J and Rat had died; low, soft, and mocking. "So what, you were going to snatch the girl with the three of you and run, leaving her to rot in some fucking slam so you could feed your greed? That the big plan?" The voice had grown more and more forceful until the last question was almost snarled.

Jefferies flinched at the violence he heard in the voice, but suddenly a plan came to him. He waited until he heard the heavy footsteps right behind him before he dove forward and grabbed the knife imbedded in the dust, rolling to the side and spinning around. With a rush of triumph he thrust the knife upward towards the big man's heart. An icy, sharp pain below his rib cage suddenly stole his breath away. The knife fell uselessly from his traitorously weakening hand. He looked upwards and met eyes like he had never seen before: Mercury and iridescent, they looked straight back into his. The triumph faded from his eyes before their silver gaze. His mouth worked uselessly for several seconds until finally two words escaped in a final whisper, "The dark…"


	40. Family

Chapter 40: Family

Kyra groaned quietly in her sleep as she repositioned herself, unable to get comfortable. Riddick watched her as she settled, a little frown creasing her brow before he lay down beside her, keeping himself between her sleeping form and the cave opening. Kyra's eyes opened and she glanced back at him and smiled sleepily. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her as he moved forward until her back rested against his chest. She relaxed against his body, leaning into his warmth as sleep fell over them both.

The wind began to pick up across the planet's surface. Great dust devils started to spin and dance over the flat plains making the harsh landscape even more hellish as dawn spread its gloomy light over the planet. The sun rose, instantly heating the air as it arced slowly into the sky. The horizon below the sunrise became suddenly blurred as a great wall of dust rose and rushed howling across the flat landscape, absorbing the power of the now seemingly insignificant dust devils as it devoured the planet's surface.

Riddick awoke to the sound of the monstrous wind flying overhead. Kyra was long used to the sound and continued to sleep as he left the cave and looked skyward. The night before he had been able to see distant stars and planetary systems, but now there was nothing but the flying storm. Riddick knew that they were trapped in their canyon until it passed; however long that would be.

A dim, diluted light somehow made its way into the canyon, illuminating it. It was dark enough however, that Riddick left off his goggles as he moved about, exploring the small valley Kyra had made her home. He examined the spears and knives she had made for herself and found that he was impressed. Kyra had not only found a way to survive, she appeared to have done very well for herself and their unborn baby.

He turned when he heard movement from the cave to see Kyra emerging; her eyes darted around the valley, searching for him. They stopped their search as they locked onto him, a brilliant smile lighting her face. He watched as she made her way over to him, enjoying the innate grace in her movements even with her heavy burden. Her hair was wild as it hung loose over her shoulders. She had braided some of it to keep it out of her face adding to her untamed, dangerous beauty.

Suddenly, she tensed and the smile slid off her face. "DOWN!" She screamed.

As her scream reached his ears he felt a movement behind his back, coming from the opening where the valley met the narrow canyon. Instantly he dropped and rolled to his left. A heavy THUD shook the ground. Riddick looked up as he pushed himself to his feet: There, lying right where he had been standing, was a massive lizard-like creature about seven feet long from its short, blunted snout to the end of its long, thick tail. Its scaled hide was a mottled orange and black, the perfect camouflage for its surface existence. The legs were long for its body, allowing the creature hold itself well off the hot dust as well as crouch low against the wind. Long, deadly claws graced the four agile toes which gave the lizard the ability to climb the high, steep canyon walls. A perfect predator. _"Beautiful."_ Riddick thought as he admired the creature. A sharp knife was protruding from one of its glazed yellow eyes and it twitched spasmodically as its nervous system shut down.

Riddick cast his silver gaze around the remainder of the valley, searching for any more of the deadly quiet creatures. He saw none and yanking the deeply embedded knife from the lizard's eye, he wiped it on his pant leg and made his way to Kyra, keeping alert to any movement, smell, or sound in the valley.

Kyra rushed towards him as quickly as her heavy body would allow her. "There will be more. They never hunt alone… I don't know what they are doing here. They have never come into the canyon before, they like to wait on the surface for food." Concern and a little fear shown on her face; she felt useless and helpless with her ponderous body and she knew well the dangers and abilities of these creatures. What were they doing in her canyon?

"Are you okay?" She asked, knowing the answer but unable to stop her mouth from forming the words.

"Yeah." Riddick said softly, catching her in his arms as she reached him. "Thanks." He whispered against her ear.

He could feel a smile break across her face as she buried it against his chest, then suddenly, her whole body tensed. Riddick had heard it too. Together they turned toward the canyon opening.

There, standing stiffly on its muscular legs, was another lizard. At its feet was the half eaten corpse of a man. Riddick heard Kyra's quick inhalation of breath as she recognized it as one of the mercs who had brought her here. Suddenly she understood how Riddick had found her and why he had left last night. It was over. The mercs wouldn't be coming back for her. A small wave of relief washed over her before her attention was drawn back to the lizards. Behind the lead lizard was its pack; yellow eyes glistening as they surveyed their prey.

The pack had found two fresh kills on the surface and they had been drawn down into the canyon by the smell of more blood. While they had been feasting the storm had come up, trapping them down in the canyon. They had taken their prize and were searching for a way back up onto the surface and to their den when they had spotted these two new meals, standing alone in the valley.

"Shit." Kyra whispered as she saw how large the pack was and unconsciously reached down and rested her hand protectively on her stomach.

Riddick saw her movement and, moving slowly so as not to set off the horde, he reached out, handing her the small throwing knife she had used to kill the stray.

He maintained eye contact with the leader of the pack, daring him to move as he stepped slightly in front of Kyra, guarding her and their baby from the deadly creatures.

The stare off continued until, simultaneously, they launched themselves forward engaging in a fast and furious battle. The rest of the pack jumped forward as well and Riddick all but disappeared beneath the writhing mass.

A yelled caught in Kyra's throat as she watched the lizards attack and she jumped forward as well, slashing and cutting her way into the brawl. Eerie screams warbled in the air as lizards fell, only to be replaced by another snarling monster. Time lost all meaning as they fought, Kyra on the outside, fighting the few that turned and attacked her while she tried to get into the mob that was attacking Riddick.

Finally, after what could have been seconds or hours, Kyra could see Riddick again as the pack's numbers dwindled. He was covered blood and gore; moving with perfect deadly efficiency. She struggled on, trying desperately to maintain her balance with her ponderous stomach as she ducked and dodged the great claws and lethal teeth of her opponents. At last, with a final thrust of her knife, it was done.

Riddick yanked one of his long, curved shivs out of a lizard's back and made his way over the scattered carcasses to Kyra. They looked each other over, searching for any injuries. Both were scratched and bruised, and Riddick had four evenly spaced tears across the front of his shirt revealing long, narrow gashes running along his muscular abdomen. They needed to be cleaned but didn't appear to be threatening.

They were both relieved the other had made it through so well, and Kyra grabbed Riddick into a tight hug, ignoring the filth that covered them both. They remained that way for several minutes until suddenly, Kyra gasped and one hand reached down and grabbed her stomach, while the other made a death grip on the side of Riddick's torn black shirt.

"Kyra?" He asked urgently.

"Oh God!" She said, amazement and a little fear evident in her voice, "it's the baby. God, Riddick! My water just broke."

Without any hesitation, Riddick scooped Kyra up into his arms and carried her back into the cave, laying her down gently. A sharp pain cut through Kyra, causing her to gasp and grab onto Riddick's forearm as he pulled back. Her short, blunt nails dug into his skin but he remained still, letting her hold on until the pain had passed. Once it was over, he helped her get comfortable and went to get some water. He washed himself at the spring, and returned to the cave to wash Kyra as well. After the blood and gore was gone from her skin and hair, he returned to the spring to get some fresh water. She would need it in the hours to come.

When he returned he found her in the throws of another contraction. Sweat was already beginning to bead on her forehead and her knuckles shown white as she clenched her fists. He set the water down close by and sat behind her, pulling her back against his chest as she relaxed again. Time passed slowly as the contractions became closer and more intense, but Kyra never let a scream pass her lips.

Riddick had seen men die, torn apart, and tortured. He was used to seeing pain and suffering, had caused some of it, but nothing hit him as hard as watching Kyra struggle through the pain she was now going through. He whispered softly in her ear and held her hands as wave after wave of pain overcame her. Tremors ran up and down her back as her muscles tired from the hours of strain.

Finally, after what seemed like days, the time came and the head came into view. Riddick left his place behind her and went down to help the baby come into the world. After the head came, the rest of the body came quickly and Riddick held his tiny son in his large hands. With the utmost care, Riddick cut the umbilical cord with a clean shiv, cleaned him with some scraps of cloth and the water and wrapped the now squalling infant in some soft leather Kyra had prepared for him as she sat alone in the cave awaiting his birth. Carefully, he set the baby in Kyra's waiting arms.

Kyra looked down at the tiny little boy in her arms and felt tears run down her cheeks. He was perfect; dark like his father, with a head full of wispy dark curling hair. As he settled into his mother's arms, his crying subsided and he opened up his eyes revealing a deep, dark brown - Riddick's eyes before they were shined. "Riddick…Look at him." Kyra's voice was soft with awe.

Riddick couldn't take his eyes off the scene before him; the love shining so openly on Kyra's face as she looked at their son, and the peaceful face of his child. Happiness filled him. He was complete. He smiled and bent down catching Kyra's eyes with his own, she smiled at him, letting the love that was overflowing from her for him and their baby shine into his mercury gaze. He leaned in and gently brushed her lips with his and settled himself in next to her, reaching out to trace his finger along the baby's cheek.

Minutes passed as they sat there together, a true family. Kyra finally broke the silence, "Riddick, I want to name him Brac. I heard it on Furya; it means 'free'… I never want him to know anything but freedom. All of us together, forever free."

She looked up into Riddick's face questioningly. He smiled that slow, sexy smile she loved so much and nodded. A smile broke out on her face and she leaned forward and kissed him lightly before she glanced back down at the now hungrily searching face. She pulled her shirt open and guided the tiny mouth to her breast. Her breath caught as he began to nurse but the pain quickly eased and she smiled again. "Hello Brac Richard Riddick."


	41. Return to Furya

Chapter 41: Return to Furya

Days passed slowly by as Kyra healed and the storm blew violently overhead. Riddick kept himself busy by hunting for fresh game, bringing water from the spring and helping Kyra out in anyway she needed. Together they cared for their son and were happier than either of them had ever been.

Finally, Riddick awoke one morning to silence. The storm was gone; leaving nothing but the brash green sky above the canyon walls. It had been nearly a week since Brac had been born and Kyra was up and about again, having quickly tired of staying in the cave. Together they had rigged a leather carrying pack for Brac that would rest against either of their chests. They were ready; it was time to go.

Riddick gathered enough food and water for the journey to the merc ship while he waited for Kyra and Brac to wake. He was dipping the water skins in the spring when he heard the soft cries coming from the cave. Riddick smiled; Brac was awake and wanting his breakfast. Finishing up, he carried the heavy skins easily back to the cave and saw Kyra nursing Brac. She smiled when she saw him. Her eyes fell to the water skins and she raised her eyebrows questioningly as she concentrated on guiding the floundering Brac back into position.

"Ready to get the hell out of here?" Riddick asked softly, running his big hand over Brac's soft little head.

Kyra nodded, "Hell yeah. Let's go home." A smile lit up her face and Riddick was struck with the realization on how long it had been since he had seen a smile like that light up her face. It was pure, unconscious happiness that seemed to come from the center of her very being. The last time he had seen it had been on T2 before the aliens had attacked. That smile had caught at his heart then, drawing a protective instinct out in him that had been buried deep in the center of his soul. Now it filled him with a deep contentment.

After Brac finished his meal, Riddick and Kyra loaded themselves up with provisions and several of Kyra's shivs. Brac was nestled comfortably in his carrying pack on Riddick's chest, shielded completely from the sun and wind.

Finally they were ready. Kyra took one last look around the canyon that had served as her home for nearly a year. She felt no sadness, just a wave of relief; it was past time to rejoin the universe. Turning to the rope that led out of the canyon, she began to climb.

They traveled quickly, not wanting to get stuck on the surface if another deadly dust storm hit. Kyra had sprung back quickly from her pregnancy and was nearly as strong as she had been before Brac was born. After only a few hours, they had crossed the plain and were standing at the edge of the large, round canyon the mercs used to protect their ship. They could look down and see the ship, ready and waiting for its crew.

Climbing down into the canyon proved to be no problem and soon Riddick was preparing the ship for take off while Kyra nursed Brac once more before she joined him. They worked together for several minutes and soon they lifted off, leaving planet Sahade far below. Riddick set their course for Furya and they settled in for their several month long flight.

Furya filled the windows as they entered the atmosphere. Kyra's excitement filled the ship with a happy anticipation. They were home, finally home; they were together, with their son, and the monsters and ghosts who had haunted them both for so long seemed to have been forgotten; left behind in the hot dust of Sahade.

Word had spread quickly across Furya that the Riddick had returned and was bringing with him the lost Kyra. Men, women, and children gathered at the hanger, waiting with unashamed excitement for their Leaders. Shirah stood in the forefront of the growing mob, waiting with her heart in her throat as though she was seeing her own children again after a long absence.

It was two changed people who stepped off their ship and out into the sunlight of Furya that day and they brought with them the culmination of their love in the form of a small baby. They still stood tall and confident, as though daring the universe to do its worst, and the threat of danger clung to them like robes, but there was now an aura of contentment that enveloped them both. Shirah understood. They had discovered who they were. Their individual struggles to understand themselves and their place in the universe had been answered in each other and in their own souls. Tears of happiness and relief leaked from her eyes as she ran forward to welcome them home.

Clean and well rested, Riddick and Kyra, carrying little Brac, entered the Council chamber that evening to meet with the remaining Elders and the priesthood. Riddick was dressed as usual in dark clothing; a long sleeved black shirt and dark utilitarian pants. His goggles covered his silver eyes in the bright light of the Council chamber. Kyra, however, was dressed in traditional Furyan clothing. A long, flowing midnight blue robe fell gently from her shoulders down to the floor, held in place by a tight, leather armor corset. Her long, curly hair was pulled back from her face and held by a matching leather thong. Brac, too, was dressed in the light Furyan clothing; all black like his father.

This gathering, like all Furyan councils, was open to the public and tonight the great chamber was packed full and odd tenseness lingered over the crowd and the sound of hushed whispers filled the chamber as Riddick and Kyra entered: There was much to tell the newly returned Leaders.

The assembly saluted them as they took their places at the head of the chamber and Shirah stood, calling the council to order. The room hushed immediately and she gave a slight nod towards the back of the chamber. The silence hung heavily as the crowd parted, making a path for the mysterious person now making her way up to the front. She was clothed in a long, light colored cloak that was blown by some invisible wind. Her face was lined with age and wisdom and set solemnly as she walked forward, gliding gracefully over the stone floor. Riddick stood slowly as he recognized her; the cool blue eyes held that same calculating, grim expression that seemed to see through him. A herald of warning; Aeron


	42. Setting the Blaze

Chapter 42: Setting the Blaze

With the patient and aloof attitude of one who is supremely confident in their existence; not from any great pride in her individual importance, but from the quiet understanding of her significance and insignificance in the vast scheme of the universe; Aeron stepped forward until she stood face to face with Riddick. Her cool eyes appraised him as they had on their first meeting, seeing deeply and harboring within their depths a wealth of wisdom and secrets.

"And so we meet again." She said simply, shortly, with almost a maternal air, "You have learned much since our last meeting."

Her gaze traveled to Kyra who was holding Brac against her shoulder. The cool, calculating eyes softened slightly as she saw the obvious loyalty and air of defiance that lingered in the very essence of this woman. She could see why the endlessly defiant Riddick had chosen her.

Aeron looked back at the silent man before her, "Yet there is much left for you to accomplish before you fulfill the destiny that has laid itself before you. Sit, if you will, and listen. I will speak to you of the plague that still contaminates this universe and the threat that is about to crash down upon us all."

She let her mystical gaze travel around the room, including the gathered citizens in the warning she was giving their leaders. A deep, heavy hush fell like a blanket over the already silent room as the importance of her words became apparent to them all.

She continued, coming directly to the point as was her custom, "The Necromongers have left the Underverse. They have amassed under one of the previous Lord Marshals, the rumors that have reached us have not named him, but we know that they have spread out across the universe like locusts; destroying galaxy after galaxy. No longer are they interested in converts: The death toll has been like nothing ever imagined. Men, women, and children, slaughtered without warning. Only a few have escaped to bring warning to us.

"It is said that they come quietly in the night, creeping up on the planet, hiding in its shadow. Within hours the planet is destroyed. The only survivors are those that were already off planet and who ran as soon as the Necromongers were detected entering the atmosphere.

"System after system has fallen before them. They're destruction is quick and complete. No resistance has been successful. The Universe is falling under a shadow so thick that we will smother in it. Hope is dying; anarchy is spreading as those who once treasured life and freedom resort to chaos. The Necromongers are waging their final cleansing on the Universe; their power is growing as lives are snuffed out.

"There is only one light that can be seen in this growing darkness; there is only one hope that some still cling to. Word of the Prophecy has spread from Helion Prime and the legend of a race of warriors has been revived Now, the eyes of the Universe have turned toward Furya for salvation.

"I have come to give you this call. Our Universe is dying, no planet is safe. They are destroying world after world. Unlike the devastation they wrought on this planet, the annihilation is complete. The time for vengeance has come." Aeron turned her eyes on Riddick alone, impressing upon him the magnitude of her appeal, "Raise your people up, Riddick. Fight for our freedom, our future, and our lives.

"_Your_ fight has come at last."

Riddick stood silent as Aeron finished speaking. The room was hushed; time seemed to hold still as her request became clear to them all: A request to wage a war against the Necromongers, the cult that had nearly destroyed their race thirty years ago; a war that they may not win; a war that, if they lost, would mean the complete destruction of the living Universe.

A nearly tangible tension swirled around the chamber. The air seemed to vibrate as the lust for war, for vengeance, washed over the assemblage. Like the ancient Spartans, these were a people who lived for a fight, a battle to win, and seemingly unconquerable challenges to face.

Riddick watched as the crowd became restless and shouts rang out; the crowd in turn watched their leader, each face full of determination and a barely controlled fury. Marks burned brightly throughout the hall.

Riddick's mercury eyes took it in, as he scanned the great chamber. He understood what he saw shining in the eyes of his people; he too remembered the atrocities of the Necromongers. The vision of the Furyan world as the Necromongers ravaged it, seen from his cradle as a baby, flashed again before his eyes; Imam's bloodied, still face; Kyra slowly dying on Necropolis, her life blood seeping across the black floor, whispering of her unwavering loyalty; the destruction and suffering in the Underverse, the Necromonger's fucking paradise. Fury was smoldering within him as well.

A slight smile tugged at his lips; unconscious confidence, bordering on arrogance, made him seem invulnerable as he stood before the Elemental Aeron, the High Priestess Shirah and an assembly of his race. "Freedom? Vengeance?" A harsh laugh burst forth, and a small light seemed to burn behind his silver eyes as he said in a low, rough voice, "Fuck that, Sister, we'll do this for fun."

The crowd burst into yells and shouts at his words. They were kindred spirits; warriors, fighters, _predators_ all.

Aeron smiled her small, mysterious smile as she watched the scene unfolding. Finally, after years of darkness and suffering, the race that had become legend was reborn; the passion and fire of these warriors was re-kindled, and the torch of Furya blazed forth once again


	43. Observations

Chapter 43: Observations

Within days the warriors of Furya were ready to leave for the hunt they had hoped would come for generations. With the intelligence provided by Aeron from the scant reports and rumors, the Furyan warriors launched in their newly designed warships; a fleet that was fast and deadly; fashioned after the blades favored by the warrior race. They were made from a strong, black metal that the Furyans favored for their weapons and armor, and each surface was curved into a deadly edge. The ships were as dangerous and menacing as the men and women who flew them.

Riddick and Kyra, along with the elemental Aeron, who had insisted that it was her duty to see the equalizing of the Universe or the destruction of it, led the battle group in a warship near the center of the armada.

Aeron, always watchful, considered the dynamics of this defiant army; hoping for strength, looking for weakness. She found that Riddick was reluctant to lead the Furyans. This she could understand since he had spent most of his life on his own, fighting his own battles and finding no reason to trust or follow those in authority. Now he found himself thrown into the position of authority and his character rebelled against it. She knew that he would fight for what he now believed in, and he would seek out vengeance for himself and his people against the Necromongers, but he would not command his people to follow. Instead, he let the war leaders command the warriors. At first Aeron was greatly concerned by this lack of authoritative leadership, believing that a people as unpredictable as the Furyans needed a strong leader, but soon she saw something that gave her hope and quieted her fears: As Riddick went after the Necros, the Furyan people followed. Not because they felt compelled, but because they shared the same fury against the people who had nearly destroyed them. Riddick would be the first into battle, and the Furyan people would follow, as equals, fighting for vengeance and to rid the Universe of its evil plague.

Riddick led his people by only doing what he would have done if he was alone. The Furyans chose to follow. Together they created a ruthless war band; equal, individual, deadly; each warrior following their more experienced war leader, and each war leader following the broad back and flashing goggles of their chosen Leader. The power to choose and to fight alongside their leaders made the Furyans a lethal, loyal, and united force.

Aeron had used the scant information she had gleaned from the rumors and survivor stories and calculated where the main Necromonger armada would likely strike next. In characteristic Riddick style, he made straight for the heart of the enemy to make a fast and clean mortal wound. If the Furyans could destroy the head of the Necromonger body, the other limbs would die helpless. With the Furyans behind him, Riddick flew toward the ill-fated Incendia System.

Incendia was a dark system, boasting of only one small, hot sun and four inhabitable planets whose surfaces were covered in towering volcanoes. Each planet was orbited by several moons that alone provided the wealth that poured from the system and created a powerful draw to the remote region. Hearty prospectors flocked from all across the universe to live on the unpredictable planets and mine the precious metals that were abundant near the moons' cores.

It was a dangerous existence, but nearly a billion people had made their homes on the four dark planets and there were always more visiting the system, flying the transports that took the precious ore out to the surrounding systems to be processed.

Now, unsuspecting, the system and its inhabitants were the next likely target of the Necromonger armada.

The gloomy planets were falling under another kind of darkness; the same deadly shadow that was spreading across the known Universe.

The Furyan armada finally entered the outskirts of the Incendia System. Kyra stood alone in the quarters she shared with Riddick, looking out the port hole at the galaxy spread before them. Furyan battleships could be seen flanking theirs on either side, their curved hulls jutting out sharply and impressing Kyra again with their deadly grace.

She was dressed ready for battle; loose fitting black pants with many practical pockets and a snug black tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a thick braid, and she was armed with several visible sheathed knives and two holstered energy guns, along with a couple not so visible shivs.

Her steady gaze took in the blackened planets with their glowing rivers of molten lava. Prospector ships were flying continuously between the planets and their moons, creating freeways of workers and supplies. Her thoughts drifted again to Shazza and Zeke: Both had been prospectors; neither had reached their destination.

Zeke had been the first of them all to fall on T2: Shazza had then died as she tried to run into the questionable safety of the crashed ship; Kyra still remembered the panicked warnings she had screamed at Shazza as she had jumped to her feet and sprinted forward, chased by the deadly cloud of young winged monsters, and the horror she felt as Shazza had been torn apart before her eyes. Was it possible that this had been their destination? There was no way of knowing, but Kyra somehow felt better thinking that this was, indeed, where they had been headed. She almost felt like she had completed their travels for them; as though the circle had been completed.

Lost in her thoughts she did not hear Riddick come up behind her. She jumped slightly as he laid his hands on her slim waist and turned to smile at him. Together they stood and gazed out the port hole, each lost in their own thoughts as they held on to the other.

All was silent as they hovered near the edge of the Incendia System; peace rested upon the still armada and the industrious mining communities on the dark planets. Buried just beneath that calm, however, was an alertness that each warrior shared; tension buzzed softly in the quiet halls and chambers. Every ear was tuned, listening; every eye scanned the computer screens as they passed, watching. Every Furyan warrior held their breath and waited. The war was about to begin


	44. Darkness and Light

Chapter 44: Darkness and Light

The tentative peace lasted through the night, allowing the warriors some sleep. It was finally time for the shift to change and the tired crew stood and stretched as their replacements entered the bridge. It had been a long and uneventful night.

Suddenly a muted alarm sounded on the long distance surveillance monitor. The tired soldiers were suddenly alert as they spun toward the screen. What they saw sent a shock of excitement and trepidation through their core: Over two score ships, almost twice the number of Furyan battle ships, were entering the Incendia System. The small crew gathered before the surveillance screen, each wanting to get a look at the enemy that had nearly destroyed their world. Every breath was held as they saw the immense fleet flying in battle formation toward the helpless planets.

The room abruptly burst into movement as each man and woman rushed to their station; double checking results, checking in with the rest of the armada, alerting the others to the arrival of the Necro fleet, and informing the war leaders. Within minutes every war leader was standing in their perspective flight decks, watching the advancement of the oncoming armada. They were not worried about detection yet; they had the element of surprise and were hidden behind a large dead planet; virtually undetectable. Instead, a barely restrained excitement vibrated in the air as the warriors got the first glimpse of their enemy.

Riddick, Kyra and Aeron entered the bridge of their ship; turning instantly toward the surveillance monitors. Now that the Necromonger fleet was closer, the Furyans could see that the fleet was made up of seventeen massive battleship cruisers, four of the tall, evil Necromonger basilicas and, nestled in the center of this deadly armada, was the flag ship; a huge, black colossus, deadly and graceful, designed to poison the hearts of its victims with fear and despair.

As they watched; the vast, powerful Necromonger fleet split into four groups, spreading apart and closing in on the still unsuspecting planets from their night sides, cowardly hiding in the planets' shadow for the attack, robbing the planets of any chance to launch what would be a futile defense.

Riddick gave the word and the Furyan war leaders acted as one: The time had come. With the utmost skill, the Furyan fleet left the shelter of the large planet and rushed in for the attack.

Very little record of the battle has ever been found. The rumors that do fly across the Universe are hardly believable, so great are their claims: It was said that the great battle lasted for several days, continuous and without rest. The citizens of the Incendia System watched in awe as the amazing battle unfolded before them. Many brave men and women from Incendia eventually joined the ranks of the Furyans after the nature of the enemy was known, and many of them consequently died the deaths of heroes.

It has been said that the people of Incendia had to take shelter from the constant barrage of torn and twisted metal as Necromonger and Furyan ships alike fell into their atmosphere and crashed onto the treacherous planets.

It is said that after the Necromonger fleet had nearly wiped out the much smaller Furyan opposition, a great Furyan leader led the small remaining band of Furyan warriors into battle where they slaughtered the Necromonger commanders inside the impenetrable Necromonger flag ship. The tales say that blood ran thick on the evil, black stone floors as a thick darkness filled the halls.

This action alone, it is claimed, led by a man who is said to be more god-like than mere human, a man who could see in the thickest of darkness, a man who fought like the devil side by side with an equally lethal woman; a claim in itself one hardly dares to believe; brought hope and peace back to the Universe.

All that is known for certain is it was an epic battle; the two most lethal races in the history of the Universe clashed; fighting not for right or wrong, but for vengeance, for supremacy, and for the right to exist.

The Furyan race disappeared once more into legend after destroying the Necromonger scourge, but because of their strength and courage, we are still here; the Universe continues, and the rule of death is ended.

Riddick stood looking out over the lush and wild landscape of Furya. The sun was beginning to set and the two moons were rising high into the sky; birds were singing their final songs of the day and a soft breeze rustled the leaves of the towering trees. The soft twilight allowed him to watch the world fall asleep without his protective goggles and for once on this peaceful night he had them, though readily available, in his pocket and not resting on his forehead.

Kyra walked out onto the patio, joining Riddick with little Brac resting on her hip, still graceful even with her quickly growing belly. Riddick looked down at them when they stopped beside him. Reaching out to her, he took Brac, relieving the extra weight from Kyra's already tired back, and pulled Kyra close with his other arm.

It was finished. No longer did Riddick and Kyra have to look behind them for the mercenaries and those who would profit from their deaths and captivity. After the Necromongers had been destroyed, the Universal government had granted them both a full pardon; granting them their life and freedom.

It would not be an easy existence they knew, they both had many enemies and there would always be those who would try to do them harm. The Universe was a dangerous place, and their children would be raised ready and able to fight for their survival and beliefs, but for now they were together and they were content. After decades of struggle, fear, death, and pain, Riddick and Kyra now had what they had fought for, for so long; a home, a growing family, peace, and freedom.

Standing proudly in the fallen night, they surveyed their world; strong, defiant, dangerous, free, darkness and light.


	45. Author's Final Note

Wow, I can't believe that after four months and almost 60,000 words I am finally finished with my first fanfic. I really hope you all enjoyed it! I want to thank all my loyal reviewers, you guys are great and ya'll get a hug. :) I don't think I would have kept up with it if it hadn't been for you all. Please let me know what you all thought of it. :)

Also, if you did enjoy it, please look up my other two stories. Torment and it's sequel Breathe. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them. :)

-Audacia


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